Never Let Me Go
by Brandi Golightly
Summary: A collection of one-shot sequels and drabbles about Clint and Natasha from my Fix You universe as they travel through married life, college life, and "the real world" in general. AU.
1. Day One of Eternity

**Guess who's back! Yep, I am but with more shenanigans for Clint and Natasha from my _Fix You_ universe. Due to popular demand, I have decided to do a collection of one-shot sequels for them as they endure married life, college life, and "the real world" in general. I did post an author's note in _Fix You_ to let a lot of you know that this exists haha. The one-shots will be extremely sporadic since I have other stories in the works and my fall semester is starting in less than two weeks so please bear with me. But for now, I hope you guys enjoy this first one-shot that takes place the morning after Clint and Natasha's wedding. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window of Clint and Natasha's townhouse in The Village. Various pieces of clothing were scattered across the floor. There was a stiletto here and a tuxedo jacket there. Natasha's wedding dress laid in an off-white heap in the corner of the room. Clint's dress shirt that he wore underneath his tuxedo had been carelessly shoved underneath the bed.

Natasha was curled up next to Clint in their king-sized bed, her ring hand resting on his bare chest. She didn't want to wake him, so she just laid there watching the rise and fall of his chest. Every so often, she carefully craned her neck so that she could look up at his face, calm and peaceful in sleep. She smiled to herself, wondering how she got so lucky.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that – curled up quietly against Clint with her left hand resting on his chest – but it was a while until Clint actually stirred and woke up. He brought his left hand up to his face to rub his eyes, but flinched when his wedding band irritated his eye. Natasha giggled at Clint and he immediately turned his head to face her. He smiled at her then pulled her closer to him, as if she wasn't already close enough to him.

"Good morning, Mrs. Barton," Clint said with a smile spreading across his face.

Natasha bit her lip to stop the smile she felt spreading across her face, but failed. "Good morning Mr. Barton."

Clint grabbed her ring hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss every one of her fingers, his lips lingering on her ring finger which was home to the two Tiffany diamond rings. He brought his other arm up to wrap around her as he pulled her towards him. She put her hand back on his chest and nestled her head up towards his neck.

"So this is married life," Clint said.

"This is married life," Natasha agreed.

"What the hell are we going to do for our first full day as a married couple?" Clint mused.

"Maybe we should sort through all of those gifts downstairs," Natasha suggested.

Following the wedding last night, they had to ask Natasha's grandparents to borrow several town cars so they could transport all of the gifts they received, as well as themselves, back to their townhouse in The Village. They filled five town cars to capacity and then used a sixth one to take them back to The Village.

The majority of the gifts were from Natasha's grandparents, her parents, and Clint's parents, but there were a select few from their friends. Thor and Jane had thrown their money together to get them a gift. Clint's brother, Barney, had been nice enough to get his brother and new sister-in-law a gift. Out of all of their friends, Peggy had gotten them the most stuff – three items to be exact – and she scolded Steve for being greedy and cheap for getting them just one thing.

"I guess so," he sighed. "We've got to send those thank you notes some time."

Natasha freed herself from Clint's arms to get herself into a sitting position, keeping the bed sheets covering her bare chest. Clint pushed himself up and kissed Natasha's bare shoulder before resting his chin on it.

"I love you Mrs. Barton," he muttered.

"That's never going to get old for you, is it?" she asked.

"Nope," he said. He lifted his chin from her shoulder and gingerly placed a kiss on her cheek, placing several more there until she turned her head to face him and his lips collided with hers. The kiss became more heated as Natasha fell back against the pillows. Still staying underneath the covers, Clint straddled her, never breaking the kiss for a second.

"How about we go another round before we head downstairs to do boring married stuff?" Clint said in a seductive tone.

"Clint it is…" she trailed off as she grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She pressed a button to light up the screen to check the time. "It's half past noon."

"So? That means we can't have sex? It was nearly one in the afternoon when we did it when you came and visited me at Penn State over Labor Day weekend last year," he countered.

"You're like a four year old with the libido of a sixteen year old," Natasha said, shaking her head.

"Is that a yes?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "If we must," she said with a giggle before Clint crushed his lips to hers.

* * *

Natasha and Clint didn't get out of bed until three o'clock that day. When they finally made their way downstairs, they groaned like three year olds at the sight of the wedding gifts they had to sort through. They knew it wasn't going to get done itself, so they each grabbed a gift and started a list to keep track of who got them what.

Neither one of them had bothered to get dressed, despite it being three o'clock in the afternoon. When they had gotten out of bed, Natasha had reached under the bed to grab Clint's dress shirt. She was the only one who was aware it was under there because she was the one who had kicked it there in the heat of the moment the night before. As she pulled on his dress shirt, Clint crossed the room to the dresser to pull out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. When they were finally partially dressed, they had made their way downstairs.

"Another gift from your grandparents," Clint said as he examined the box that was resting in his lap. "And I have no idea what it is."

Natasha looked up from the list to see what it was. "Oh, it's one of those Keurig coffee maker things."

"Oh. Cool," Clint said as he set the box down on the floor and grabbed another gift.

It went like that for almost two hours. Every time they opened a gift, they would announce it and write it down on the list to make sure the person that gave it to them received a thank you note. They didn't really say much to each other but Clint couldn't help but let his eyes stray over to the girl he now called his wife. The little girl he saved from playground bullies in elementary school. The girl he called his best friend for most of his life. The girl he would continue to call his best friend for the rest of his life.

"So Nat, where are we going for our honeymoon?" Clint asked as he rubbed his hand against a set of fuzzy towels.

"You tell me. You're the hopeless romantic," she said as she wrote down the set of towels on the list of gifts.

"Well, where do you want to go?" he asked.

Natasha looked up from the pad of paper and rolled her eyes at him. "We can't afford to go where I want to go. We work part-time jobs on campus."

"Where do you want to go Nat?" he asked firmly.

"But it's so cliché too," she whined.

"You want to go to Paris don't you?" Natasha nodded with a small smile on her face. Clint got up from the couch and knelt in front of Natasha, who was sitting on the floor with her legs tucked underneath her. He cradled her face in both of his hands and looked straight into those beautiful green eyes of hers that he loved so much. "I will take you to Paris. I promise. It will take me time but I will get you there. I will get _us_ there."

"I knew I married you for a reason," she said with a smirk. Clint smiled and then pressed his lips against hers. The first day of the rest of their lives together had turned out to be not so bad. In fact, it had turned out perfect.

* * *

**How's that for the first one-shot sequel? I've got a couple more ideas, including the next one which is Natasha getting sick. Again. And Clint takes care of her but it's so much more romantic because they're married now haha. For those of you that wanted to see Harry Osborn and Peter Parker again, I may include them in these one-shot sequels. More Avengers may show up as well.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this first one-shot sequel so please review and tell me what you think! Also, if there is something you would like to see Clint and Natasha do for a one-shot sequel, let me know and I'll see what I can do! I don't have very many ideas for them since I used all of them up for _Fix You_ so ideas would be great!**


	2. In Sickness and In Health

**Alright, I've got another random story for you guys. This whole collection really isn't going to have a plot to connect all of them but things will be mentioned from other one-shots (ex. Natasha wanting to go to Paris). There's really no storyline to say the least haha. Anyways, in this random story, Natasha catches pneumonia and things take a turn for the worse. Enjoy!**

* * *

In the middle of October during their first year of marriage, Natasha had caught a cold. It had been unusually chilly and windy in the city for the month of October so a lot of people had been getting sick. Working in the admissions office didn't help Natasha. She sat at the reception desk which was right in front of the door. Every time someone walked through the door, a cold gust of air whipped through the office and Natasha was the first person to get hit by the cool gust of air.

At first, Natasha thought it was a cold. She had been coughing a lot and it never sounded pretty every time she hacked. A lot of the people she worked with in the admissions office had been calling out sick, one of them even calling out claiming they had pneumonia. Natasha didn't think anything of it, until the symptoms started to get worse and weaken her body.

She wasn't quite sure why she never said anything to Clint. Every time she coughed or said she had a headache, she just brushed it off as if it was nothing. He constantly told her she should go see a doctor but she denied him and told him it would pass within a couple days.

Then, one weekend, Clint woke up next to Natasha, who felt like she was boiling. He touched his hand to her skin and it almost felt like he was sticking his hand in a campfire. He carefully rolled out of bed and searched for a thermometer in the bathroom. When he found it, he made his way back into the bedroom and stuck it in her ear. When the thermometer beeped, he removed it from her ear to find out her temperature. It read 104 degrees Fahrenheit and he instinctively flinched at the sight of the number.

He knelt down at the side of the bed and brushed a stray curl out of her face. Even by doing this small action, he could feel the heat radiating off of her body. "Tasha," he whispered her name and she stirred. She didn't open her eyes but she rolled onto her back, the covers pulled up to her chin.

"Tasha, how long have you had this fever?" he asked calmly.

"What?" she croaked, her eyes still closed.

"How long have you had this fever?" he asked more firmly this time.

"I don't know. A couple days, I guess," she muttered.

"_A couple days?_" Clint asked in shock. "And the fever still hasn't broke?"

Natasha shook her head, her eyes still closed.

"Jesus Christ Tasha," Clint groaned as he pushed himself off of the floor. He knew that fevers weren't something they could just leave alone. If a fever didn't break, then there was definitely something wrong.

"Clint," Clint heard Natasha moan. He'd walked away from the bed in anger so his back was facing her but the moment he heard her voice, he turned around to look at her. She had pushed herself up into a sitting position in bed, but she looked extremely weak. Her complexion was pale and from the looks of it, she was having difficulty breathing. Her breaths were shallow and every time she took a deep breath, it looked like it hurt her.

"I think have pneumonia," she croaked nonchalantly.

"_Pneumonia?_" Clint asked, raising his eyebrows in contempt. "Fuck! And why do you _think_ you have pneumonia?"

"Because one of the other girls I work with in the admissions office had it. Or maybe she still has it. I don't know."

"Fuck Nat! Did you just plan on letting this slide by me?"

"No," she said in a small voice. Clint was fuming but he stopped just a second to see the sadness in Natasha's eyes as she bowed her head. Yes, he was angry at her for just brushing it off as if it was nothing but he was being extremely harsh with her right now. She was extremely weak right now and the last thing she needed was for Clint to get pissed off at her.

Clint walked across the room and climbed onto the bed, crawling over to her to feel her forehead. "Tasha, this is bad," he said. "If this fever doesn't break by tomorrow morning, or hell even by tonight, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No, don't take me there!" she cried. "You know I don't like hospitals!"

"I don't think I have any other choice."

"Could you…will you just lay in bed with me?" she asked weakly.

Clint sighed. "Of course," he said. He carefully pulled the covers out from under him and burrowed underneath them. Natasha carefully lowered herself down underneath the covers as Clint rolled over to stretch his arm over her overheated body. She was still burning up but he knew that if he let go even for a second, she might slip away from him for good.

* * *

Natasha slept for the majority of the day. Every so often, she would squirm in bed and moan out of discomfort. Clint felt helpless. There really wasn't anything he could do for her. He wanted to take her to a doctor because that was the only thing he knew he could do for her, but he knew she didn't want to do that.

He felt his heart break every time she tried to take in air but failed. This was worse than that time she had that cold. A cold was just a sore throat, a stuffy nose, and coughing. This was much worse than just a cold. Yes, she was probably right that she had pneumonia but Clint had no knowledge as to how to treat it. No one in his family had ever gotten it so he had no way of knowing how to approach this.

Later that night, Clint shoved the thermometer in Natasha's ear again and was appalled when he read the screen. Her temperature had risen to 106. Despite what she wanted, he was taking her to the hospital. The last thing he wanted was to lose his wife only a few short months after they had gotten married.

He called Natasha's grandparents to see if they could loan them a town car to get them to the nearest hospital. He knew it probably would've been smarter to just call 911 but if he had done that, Natasha probably would've ripped his head off. Natasha's grandparents said they would send a town car to their house in The Village, but they would also meet Clint at the hospital as soon as possible.

When the town car had arrived, Clint told the driver that they needed to go to the nearest hospital and then sprinted back into the house to grab Natasha. She was still asleep but every so often, she still squirmed in bed out of discomfort. As he went to feel her forehead once again, he could feel the heat radiating off of her body before his hand made contact with her skin.

He pushed the covers off of her and then gently scooped her up in his arms to carry her downstairs to the car.

"Where are we going?" she muttered weakly as Clint stepped down their front steps. The driver opened the car door for Clint and he slid into the back seat. When he was settled in the back seat with Natasha still in his arms, he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and touched his hand to her forehead.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. Your temperature went up to 106 and I'm not going to sit around and watch you suffer," he said calmly.

They sat in silence during the car ride to the hospital. Clint had expected Natasha to protest and order the driver to take them back home, but she just sat in silence. She coughed every so often and had difficulty taking in breaths but that was about it. Clint always placed his hand on her forehead to constantly check how hot she felt. Secretly, Clint had hoped that the fever would go away like magic and they wouldn't have to take her to the hospital. But every single time he was disappointed when he touched his hand to her skin and felt the burning sensation.

Clint tried to stay as calm as possible when he carried Natasha into the ER. His voice was cracking as he spoke and he could feel his heart racing in nervousness. He frantically told the doctors that he didn't know what else to do after her fever had spiked to 106. Before the doctors rolled her away, Clint quickly slipped the wedding rings off of her fingers. He knew that she would panic if the doctors removed them and didn't give them to Clint. When the doctors had begun to roll Natasha further into the ER to work on her, he felt someone grab the hood of his sweatshirt. He whipped around to see Natasha's grandparents.

"You have to wait here, Clint," Natasha's grandmother said calmly. Clint looked back at the doors they had taken Natasha through but unfortunately, she was already long gone. The only thing he could do now is wait.

* * *

It was a few hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, when a doctor had finally delivered news to Clint and Natasha's grandparents. They had managed to stabilize her, bringing her fever down to 103. They had hooked her up with an IV that injected her with morphine that would ease the pain of breathing. In all, the doctor told Clint she was going to be fine.

"Can I see her?" he asked in a panic.

"Only direct family can see her right now. I'm assuming you're her grandparents?" the doctor said turning his attention to Natasha's grandparents.

"I'm her husband," Clint snapped.

"Her husband?" the doctor asked, confused.

"Yeah, her husband. The guy she's married to. Last I checked that made me direct family." Clint narrowed his eyes to slits as he glared at the doctor. When the doctor became too uncomfortable with Clint glaring at him, he turned to Natasha's grandparents for reinforcements.

"He really is her husband," Natasha's grandfather said with a nod. The doctor shook his head in disbelief but turned his attention back to Clint. He didn't say anything but he just motioned for Clint to follow him. Clint followed the doctor, leaving Natasha's grandparents in the waiting room. He knew it was probably selfish to see Natasha by himself. They were her grandparents after all so they were probably equally as worried about her as Clint was.

The doctor led Clint down an eerily silent hall. All of the rooms were dark and Clint finally understood why Natasha didn't like hospitals. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind when he had been in that accident a few years back. The silence and the looming presence of death must have scared the hell out of her. Now, he could sympathize.

The doctor stopped outside of a dimly lit room that Clint could only guess was Natasha's. The doctor took a deep breath as he looked at Clint. "She's sleeping now and we wouldn't advise you to wake her. She needs her rest but you can stay with her."

Clint relaxed and then expressed his gratitude with the doctor for taking care of her and for letting him see her. The doctor clapped him on the shoulder before walking away to tend to more patients. As Clint quietly made his way into the dimly lit room, he focused his eyes on Natasha's sleeping form on the bed. He hesitated so he could make out the rise and fall of her chest before he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to her bedside.

All he wanted to do now more than ever was to hold her. He wanted to feel her heart beating against his. He wanted to feel her lips against his. But most importantly, he just wanted her in his arms. Due to the wires and tubes that were stuck in her arms, he couldn't do that so he just gently took her delicate hand in his and watched her sleep.

* * *

He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he felt Natasha's hand slip from his. The sudden movement made Clint open his eyes in a panic, only to see Natasha's beautiful green eyes staring back at him. She was lying on her side facing him. There was some color back in her face but she still looked exhausted.

"Tasha," he breathed as he leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. When he pulled back, he grabbed her hand and put it between both of his. He rested his head on top of his hands and let out a breath of relief.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Natasha asked weakly. Clint raised his head to look into Natasha's sad green eyes. He could tell that she was genuinely sorry for letting her illness get out of hand and making him suffer by watching her suffer. However, he was still mad at her for not letting him interfere with it until it had gotten to the point where she could have died.

"You could have died on me, Tasha. Your temperature was at 106. If it had gotten one degree higher, the cells in your body would've started to shut down, then your organs, and you just…you could've died on me!"

"I'm sorry," she croaked. He could see the rims of her eyes getting red as the tears started to well up. He didn't want to make her cry. He just wanted her to understand how serious the situation was. She let out a whimper and bit her lip as she tried to stop the tears from overflowing.

"Nat, I'm sorry. Please don't cry," he said, cupping the side of her face with his hand. "Please just understand that I didn't want you to leave me this soon. I haven't taken you to Paris yet, but most importantly, I haven't stopped loving you yet. And I never will stop loving you so please just understand that I'm mad at you because I thought you'd pretty much given up on me."

Natasha rolled onto her back and wiped the tears that had escaped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, repeating it over and over again as if it was a mantra. Clint got up from the chair and climbed into bed with her. He pulled her close with her head and one of her hands resting on his chest.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, not that Clint cared. It felt good to have her in his arms and in a better condition. Clint didn't say anything more to her as she let herself cry it out but once she was calm, he brushed the pieces of hair that had matted to the side of her face and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Just let it be known for the future that even though we didn't say it directly when we got married, I will be there for you in sickness and in health. And I swear to God if you don't mention to me if you get sick again, I will kick your ass," Clint demanded. Clint's threat garnered a small laugh from Natasha as she got a tighter grip on Clint. She sighed into his chest as she got comfortable but it didn't last long.

As she stared at her left hand she realized her rings were missing. She let out a gasp as she came to the sudden realization. "What the hell did those sons of bitches do with my rings?" she snapped.

Clint let out a chuckle as he dug into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out her wedding rings. "You mean these rings?" he said, holding them up for her to see.

"Yes," she breathed, relaxing against Clint's chest again. Clint shifted his position so that he could slip the rings back onto her ring finger and she sighed in relief as soon as they were back in their rightful place.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't let anything happen to them," Clint said as he laced his fingers through hers on her left hand. "Just like I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

* * *

**How about that? Somewhat romantic? haha. I have a couple more ideas for more random stories, including Clint and Natasha cooking Thanksgiving dinner and it goes horribly awry, Clint and Natasha finally meeting Mr. Osborn (which is where Harry and Peter Parker would make a reappearance), and Clint and Natasha's first Christmas together as a married couple. The rest of their group of friends (Thor, Steve, Peggy, etc.) will make a reappearance again too. I just haven't decided on a story yet. Once again, if there is something you would like me to write for them, let me know and I'll try to work it out!**

**As always, thank you so much for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Natasha's illness and Clint coming to the rescue.**


	3. Thanksgiving

**Clint and Natasha decide to cook Thanksgiving dinner for their family members and everything goes wrong. Enjoy!**

* * *

The alarm blared from the bedside table on Thanksgiving morning. Clint groaned as he rolled over and slapped the snooze button to grant him and Natasha a couple more minutes of valuable sleep. He rolled back over to curl up against Natasha's back, stretching his arm over her body and lacing his fingers through hers.

"We have to get up Clint," Natasha mumbled with her eyes still closed. Clint responded by pulling her closer to him. He wasn't sure why they had agreed to cook Thanksgiving dinner for their family. Neither one of them could barely cook pasta without making a mess of things. However, it only seemed right that they did it since this was their first year being married.

"Five more minutes," he grumbled.

"Get up," she moaned, elbowing him in the ribs. She barely budged from her spot. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

"You first," Clint groaned in response.

"You're the man of the house," she retorted.

Clint let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Fine. I'll give you five more minutes then you have to come downstairs and help me." Clint rolled over to the other side of the bed and pushed the covers off of him. The room was colder than it usually was since Clint and Natasha had started turning the heat down while they slept to conserve energy. Clint shivered as soon as his feet hit the hardwood floor and he tip toed across the room to grab his sweatshirt off of the arm chair.

He pulled his sweatshirt on and then turned around to look at Natasha's sleeping form. She had definitely fallen back asleep so there was no chance of her coming downstairs to help him any time soon. As much as he felt that two heads were better than one, he was going to let her sleep. She wasn't much of a morning person anyways. He would come back upstairs in an hour and wake her up.

When he made his way down to the second floor of their townhouse, he turned the heat up a couple degrees so he didn't freeze to death. He didn't really know where to start so he ran back upstairs and went into the office to grab his laptop. He carried it back downstairs and fired it up. In the meantime, Clint pulled out the ingredients for the side dishes they would be preparing later on for the meal.

When his laptop was warmed up and ready to go, he typed in "how to cook a turkey" in Google and pressed search. The results were overwhelming but he chose the one at the top and began to read the directions. It seemed simple. Put it in the oven at the correct temperature for the right amount of time, baste it every so often, and check the turkey's internal temperature. He walked over to the oven to preheat it and waited patiently for the oven to reach the temperature he set it to.

He slid the turkey in when the oven had preheated and then sat down at the kitchen table perusing the internet for tips on cooking Thanksgiving dinner. He had always helped his parents with Thanksgiving dinner, but it was always the minor things. He always broke up the bread for the stuffing or peeled the potatoes. This was the first time he ever had to do it on his own.

He heard the sound of soft footfalls against the hardwood floor from behind him and moments later, he felt Natasha's arms wrap around his upper body.

"Hi," she whispered into his ear.

Clint twisted around so that he was facing her but her arms were still wrapped around him. He placed a kiss on her lips and when he pulled away, he smiled at her. "Hi beautiful," he said. He turned his attention back to his laptop as he skimmed the directions for making mashed potatoes.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Reading about how to make a Thanksgiving dinner," Clint said.

"We're so screwed," she said as she released him from her grip. She padded over to the fridge and grabbed a Starbucks vanilla coffee out of the fridge. She popped off the top and took a swig out of the bottle before rejoining Clint at the kitchen table.

"I guess I should've paid attention more all those years I helped my parents cook," Clint mused.

"It's just Thanksgiving dinner. Or, I guess lunch since we're having it at one, but still. It can't be that hard, can't it?" Natasha said, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, I guess not. We only have to worry about the turkey for now," Clint said as he closed his laptop. "I'd say around eleven or noon we start working on the side dishes."

"And until then?" Natasha said.

"Watch TV? Work on that three page paper your French professor assigned?" he suggested.

"Schoolwork? On Thanksgiving? Are you feeling okay, Clint?" she joked as she reached across the table to feel his forehead. He swatted her hand away and she giggled in response.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asked as he pushed himself away from the table. Natasha nodded in agreement and followed Clint to the living room. Clint flopped down on the couch and Natasha padded over to the shelf of DVDs. She searched through the cases and pulled out two movies to hold up and show Clint.

"Really Nat?" he asked as she held up the case for _The Town_.

Natasha giggled. "I'm just kidding. I want to watch _Midnight in Paris_. I'm in a Woody Allen mood." She slid the case for _The Town_ back on the shelf and then headed over to the entertainment console to put in the movie. When she closed the DVD player, she padded over to the couch and sat on the edge as Clint wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. Natasha pulled her feet up onto the couch and lay parallel to Clint with her back against his chest and his arm around her waist. Clint reached above him to pull the blanket that was draped across the back of the couch and laid it over him and Natasha.

Watching the movie had definitely passed the time. When the movie had finished, it was time to start preparing the side dishes. Clint and Natasha sighed as they pushed themselves off of the couch, their muscles screaming in protest. They stretched and then headed back to the kitchen. Clint checked the turkey to make sure it was cooking correctly as Natasha pulled the ingredients out of the cabinets and fridge to begin preparing the side dishes.

Natasha began peeling the potatoes as Clint started to prepare the biscuits. Natasha carefully swiped at the potato skins with the knife while Clint pulled apart the dough and placed it on the cookie sheet for baking. They crossed paths as Clint carried the cookie sheet to the other end of the counter and Natasha brought the pot of skinned potatoes to the counter to place in the mixer.

Everything had been going smoothly. Clint and Natasha were convinced that maybe it wasn't so hard to cook after all. Why they had been surviving on pasta and Ramen noodles, they had no clue. If they could accomplish the task of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for their family members, then cooking dinner for themselves every day would be easy.

Everything had started to go to hell in a hand basket when Clint had dropped one of the potatoes on the floor. It was a minor action and they still had plenty of potatoes left to make mashed potatoes, but Natasha still shot him a dirty look for wasting food.

As she prepared to mash the potatoes before putting them in the mixer, Clint rooted around in the fridge for something. She heard him gasp as she saw something tumble out of the fridge out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the side just in time to see the carton of eggs smash all over the floor. Natasha's jaw dropped as she stared at the mess of egg yolks and shells on the floor. Then, she pulled her eyes away from the mess on the floor to shoot a death glare at Clint.

"Are you just _trying _to waste food today?" she snapped.

"That was not my fault. The carton got caught on something and it fell," Clint said, raising his hands in defense.

Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed. "Just clean it up," she ordered and then turned her attention back to the potatoes. She dumped the partially mashed potatoes into the mixer and studied the buttons, deciding which one was the right one to use. After being stumped for a couple minutes, she turned to Clint to ask him.

He walked over to the counter in the midst of cleaning up the mess of eggs and studied the mixer's buttons just as Natasha had done. "This one looks right," Clint said as he pressed the button. Immediately, the mixer started with a buzz but sputtered as clumps of potatoes were flung across the kitchen.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Natasha ordered as she tried to shield herself from the food. Clint struggled to find the off button as he was bombarded with bits of potatoes. When he found it, he pressed the button and sighed. He turned around to face Natasha and was met with an ice cold glare. There were bits of potatoes on her sleep shirt and in her hair. She looked absolutely ridiculous but absolutely adorable at the same time.

"Sorry," Clint said. Natasha continued to stare him down. After a while, she took one step forward, shoved her hand into the mixing bowl full of mashed potatoes, scooped up a handful of potatoes, and then shoved it into Clint's face. Clint stood there stunned while Natasha tried her hardest to stifle the laughs that were threatening to escape her lips.

Clint wiped his face clean and nodded in approval. "Okay, I deserved that." Natasha nodded in agreement as she tried to wipe the mashed potatoes from her hands. She was too occupied with cleaning her hands that she hadn't even noticed Clint had grabbed the bag of flour from the freezer and was heading towards her with a handful.

The moment she looked up from cleaning her hands, Clint tossed the handful of flour at her. Natasha sputtered as soon as the white powder had made contact with her and she scrunched up her face in disgust.

"What are you? Four years old?" Natasha asked as she waved away the dust from the flour.

"You have no idea how incredibly sexy you look right now," Clint retorted.

"Oh, I'm sure clumps of potato coated in flour are _real_ sexy," she countered sarcastically.

"It is," he said.

"Well, in that case…" she trailed off as she took a couple steps forward and snatched the bag of flour out of his hands. He thought she was just going to chuck a fistful of flour at him like he had done to her but she had other plans. She took the bag of flour and dumped it over his head, a white cloud of powder making him disappear.

When the dust had cleared up, he saw Natasha trying to hold in the laughs that were threatening to escape her lips once again. "You think it's funny?" he asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"It's _very_ funny," she replied.

Clint brushed more flour off of him before reaching out to Natasha, grabbing her by the waist. She squealed and struggled against his grip as he dragged her towards the fridge. He still hadn't finished cleaning up the mess from the eggs but he realized that some of them were still in perfect condition. He reached down with Natasha still in his grasp, grabbing one of the eggs to smash into Natasha's hair. She gasped at the action but giggled afterwards. She reached up to touch her hair and fingered the gooey liquid that was now seeping into her scalp.

"Such a waste," she muttered as she rubbed the goo between her two fingers.

"Are we even now?" he asked.

"I guess so," she sighed.

With his arms still locked around her waist, Clint and Natasha surveyed the damage done to the kitchen. There were clumps of potato stuck to the walls, the counter, and even the ceiling. The floor was a sticky mess where the eggs had cracked against the hardwood floor and there was a large pile of wasted flour on the floor.

"Shit," Natasha cussed when she took in the mess in the kitchen.

"It's not so bad," Clint said, shrugging his shoulders.

"We've got to clean all this up before our family gets here."

"Maybe we just weren't qualified for cooking Thanksgiving dinner."

"I'd have to agree with you on that," Natasha said with a giggle. Natasha freed herself from Clint's grasp only for a second before he pulled her back by the hand to press his lips to hers.

"You really do look incredibly adorable and sexy right now," Clint muttered against her lips. Natasha giggled before she crushed her lips against his again. She felt Clint snake his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him. She reached up on her tip toes and brought her hands up to touch his face gently.

Clint had just hoisted her up on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist when the doorbell echoed throughout the house. Clint and Natasha instantly froze, panic and shock mirrored on their faces.

"What time is it?" Natasha hissed.

Clint leaned to the side to check the time on the stovetop. It read 12:56. Their family members were at the door and they were nowhere near prepared to serve them a proper Thanksgiving dinner.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"Answer the door, invite them in, and postpone dinner until actual dinnertime?" Clint suggested.

"Sounds good to me," she said, slipping off of the counter. She followed Clint down to the main floor to answer the door. When they opened the door to welcome their family into their home, everyone looked at Clint and Natasha like they were crazy.

"Oh yeah, this? Yeah, we had a bit of a mishap with the potatoes," Clint said.

"And flour," Natasha added.

"And some eggs."

Their family members stared at them for a couple seconds before turning their attention to each other. There was a silent exchange among them, as if to convey that Clint and Natasha were crazy, but they brushed it off by stepping into the warm and welcoming townhouse.

When all of their family members were in the townhouse but outside of earshot, Natasha grabbed Clint by the wrist and pulled him close to her.

"Don't think you're off the hook. You are in so much trouble later tonight," she whispered in his ear seductively. With that, she walked off, leaving Clint grinning like an idiot in the middle of the foyer. If every Thanksgiving was like this, Clint wouldn't mind cooking dinner for his family.

* * *

**Oh boy, aren't they just the cutest? I said in the update for _You Belong With Me_ earlier tonight but I'll mention it again. I leave to go back to school on Saturday so after Friday, expect updates to be extremely sporadic. I could update once a day, once a week, or once a month. It all depends on the work load my professors assign. I'm taking two languages and languages come so easy to me so maybe I'll have a little free time. Who knows? Either way, please stick with me and my stories in the meantime. I do have until Friday so you can still expect at least one update until then.**

**Anyways, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Clint and Natasha's food fight on Thanksgiving.**


	4. Dinner with the Osborns

**Alright, so I've got another story here for you guys. There's a lot of Clint and Natasha fluff. But we also finally meet Mr. Osborn. Clint and Natasha join Mr. Romanoff, Harry Osborn, and Peter Parker for dinner with Mr. Osborn. Enjoy!**

* * *

Mr. Osborn had always been an enigma to Natasha and Clint. Natasha's father worked with the man and practically considered him to be his best friend, but Natasha had never met him. Clint and Natasha had obviously met Mr. Osborn's son, Harry, as well as Harry's best friend, Peter Parker. Both Peter and Harry were nice boys whom Clint and Natasha met for dinner or coffee every so often when any of them weren't busy with schoolwork or studying.

It came as a surprise for Natasha when her father called her up one night asking her to join him and Mr. Osborn for dinner the following evening. Natasha was a little distant at first. Though she didn't have much schoolwork to tend to, she knew Clint had to have some sort of paper to write. She wasn't exactly saying yes, but she wasn't saying no.

Her father tried to lure her into it by telling her that Harry and Peter would be joining them for dinner as well. That way if they didn't particularly care for Mr. Osborn, Clint and Natasha would still have Peter and Harry to talk to.

Natasha's father was practically begging her. Since moving away for school and marrying Clint, she hadn't seen much of her father so she understood his motive for asking her to join him and Mr. Osborn for dinner. Even though he worked in the same city that Natasha lived and went to school in, he didn't have much time himself to visit her. Having dinner with Mr. Osborn and him would give them the perfect opportunity to catch up. Out of guilt, Natasha had agreed.

Natasha partially expected Clint to get mad over the fact that she hadn't asked him, but she should've known Clint would've understood. He always was an understanding person. When Natasha had told him about having dinner with Mr. Osborn, he was ecstatic.

"Are we finally going to meet the infamous yet always invisible Mr. Osborn?" Clint had asked excitedly. Natasha rolled her eyes at Clint's childish comment but took it as he was okay with attending dinner.

The following night when they both got home from their classes, they immediately started getting ready for dinner with Mr. Osborn. Clint had quickly jumped in the shower and then turned it over to Natasha when he was finished. It didn't take long for Clint to get ready, but he knew it was going to take Natasha a while, and he wasn't going to complain. Natasha knew she didn't need to curl her hair or apply a lot of makeup to impress Clint. However, she did want to look nice for Mr. Osborn and give him a good first impression.

Natasha brushed on a small amount of makeup while she waited for her curling iron to warm up. She then curled her hair so that the ends of her curls were just brushing her shoulders like they always did. She then padded to their walk-in closet and surveyed her wardrobe for a cute but conservative dress to wear.

"The red one, Nat," Natasha heard Clint say from the bedroom.

"Which red one?" she called back.

"You _know_ which one," Clint said slyly. Natasha smiled to herself as she pushed aside the clothes on the hangers and pulled the famous red dress from its hanger. It wasn't really that special of a dress. Clint just liked it because of the way she looked in it one spring day when they were laying in the grass in Central Park doing their schoolwork. The way the light was hitting Natasha's hair and how adorable she looked while she laid there reading her Russian literature was what did Clint in. They didn't get much schoolwork done because Clint claimed she looked too cute and Natasha claimed she didn't want to break away from Clint's rewarding make out session.

She slipped the dress on and walked out into the bedroom to show Clint. "Satisfied?" she asked. Clint rolled off of the bed and walked over to Natasha, who was standing just outside of the doorway to the walk-in closet. He looked her up and down and then nodded in approval as he quickly pecked her on the lips.

"Now put on those black heels that somehow make your legs look longer," Clint ordered as he walked back over to the bed and flopped down on it. Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head, but headed back into the closet to slip on the black heels. She pulled a black cardigan off of its hanger as she headed out of the closet, flipping the lights off when she exited.

"Okay, are you ready?" Natasha asked as she pulled her cardigan on. In the time Natasha had disappeared back into the closet to put on her shoes and grab her cardigan, Clint had moved to the center of the bed, rolled onto his stomach, and fell asleep. She didn't blame him for falling asleep. He'd had an eight a.m. class today and of course, the class took place at a building at the farthest end of campus away from their townhouse.

Natasha smirked to herself as she pulled her shoes off again and climbed onto the bed. She straddled Clint's lower back and laid her chest against his back while she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Clint," she whispered in his ear. He groaned in response. "Would you like to stay here?"

Clint lifted his head and turned it slightly so that he could see Natasha out of the corner of his eye. Her green eyes bore into his sleepy blue-grey ones. "No, just give me a minute to wake up," Clint mumbled as his eyes closed once again and his head hit the pillow.

Natasha sighed and she rested her head on his shoulder, her lips close to his ear. "I'm wearing your favorite red dress, Clint. Just for you. You better get up," Natasha mumbled into his ear. Clint stirred from underneath her and then gently rolled over, grabbing Natasha by the waist to keep her on top of him.

"Come on, we're going to be late. We have to go all the way up to the Upper East Side," she said, poking Clint in the ribs.

"Okay, okay," Clint griped as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Natasha pushed herself back so that she was still sitting in Clint's lap. "We can't really go anywhere if you're sitting on me."

Natasha shifted her body so that she was sitting on the bed next to Clint. Once she moved off of him, he immediately fell back against the bed, pulling her by the wrist with him. She let Clint pull her close to him as they lied on their bed together.

"Clint, we're going to be late," she repeated.

"Oh come on Nat. I know you really don't want to do this," Clint said, turning his head to face her. Natasha looked at Clint and flashed him a confused look.

"What do you mean I don't want to do this?" Natasha asked.

"You were so hesitant to agree to go to this dinner and you're excuse was that I probably had schoolwork to work on," Clint said. "I'm a big boy. I can handle pulling an all-nighter to finish my schoolwork if that meant going to dinner with my wife."

"Clint, you can barely stay awake _right now_," Natasha pointed out.

"That's what coffee and energy drinks are for Tasha," Clint retorted. They laid in silence with Natasha's head resting on Clint's chest until Clint broke the silence. "Do you not want to go to this dinner because you think Mr. Osborn's taking your dad away from you? Kind of like how Von Doom took your mom from you?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Natasha said. Her voice cracked as she pushed away from Clint and sat in an upright position.

"I'm not trying to make you mad or anything but…even when we were in high school, your dad hung out with Mr. Osborn all the time. You thought you were finally going to see your dad more often than you used to following the divorce," Clint said. He pushed himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around Natasha's waist. "Please don't be mad at me for saying it."

Natasha sighed. She couldn't be mad at him though she got to wondering that maybe that was why she wasn't too keen on the idea of having dinner with Mr. Osborn. In high school, she had been excited over the fact that her father would probably be home earlier and more often than when he worked at Von Doom Industries. When that didn't happen, she was thoroughly disappointed. Then he started spending weekends hanging out Mr. Osborn and taking vacations with him. Natasha had barely seen her father after that, but it wasn't as if he didn't care enough to not go to Moving Up Day or her graduation. He cared, but only when he had to.

"I'm not mad Clint. Maybe you have a point," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's still my dad though. He still cares enough to invite me to dinner, even if it is dinner with him _and_ his BFF."

Clint snorted a laugh. "Okay, so now that you've seen the light, can we go?" he whined. "We're going to be late!" Natasha rolled her eyes at Clint mocking her and then sat on the edge of the bed to grab her shoes. Clint crawled over to Natasha and wrapped his arms around her, placing a soft kiss on her neck.

"By the way, I wonder if that dress looks just as good on the floor as it does on you," Clint said seductively.

Natasha smiled at Clint's inappropriate comment. "If you behave yourself at dinner, maybe you'll find out later."

* * *

Clint and Natasha's taxi stopped outside of an elegant apartment complex on Park Avenue. Mr. Osborn and Harry lived on the top two floors of the apartment complex. Clint and Natasha had been here a couple times when they had met up with Harry and Peter for dinner. They never stayed at the apartment complex since they always went out to eat but Harry usually invited them in for a couple minutes until they were ready to go.

Clint shoved some money over the seat to the driver and then quickly got out of the cab and rushed over to Natasha's side to open the door for her. Natasha rolled her eyes at Clint. Always the gentleman, but she was perfectly capable of opening her door herself. Clint wrenched open the door and offered his hand up to Natasha to help her out.

When Natasha was out of the cab and it sped off to find another patron, Clint and Natasha headed into the lobby of the apartment complex. They told Paula, the woman at the front desk, that they were here to have dinner with Mr. Osborn and she politely gestured to the elevator, informing Clint and Natasha that Mr. Osborn was expecting them. Clint and Natasha loaded onto the elevator and waited for the elevator to begin its ascent.

Before they reached the floor, Clint slipped his hand into Natasha's and she felt her lips twitch upwards at the gesture. When the elevator stopped and its doors slid open, Natasha and Clint stepped out hand in hand. The foyer was vast and empty and Clint and Natasha could hear voices coming from the kitchen. They stood there awkwardly until they heard the sound of fancy shoes against the hardwood floors. Moments later, Harry appeared from around the corner.

"Hey, sorry you guys! Paula just called us to let you know you were heading up. Come on in!" Harry said, waving at them to join him. Clint and Natasha stepped forward as they followed Harry throughout the enormous penthouse apartment.

"Your father's already here, Natasha. He's just in the office with my dad. They're sorting out some financial things for the upcoming New Year. Pete and I are just finishing up dinner," Harry announced as they entered the kitchen. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, tending to a pot of stew, was Harry's friend, Peter Parker. Clint and Natasha politely greeted Peter and he did the same.

"Do you guys need any help?" Natasha asked. She almost bit her tongue. The last time she tried to cook dinner was Thanksgiving and it didn't go over so well. But she wanted to help.

"No, no," Harry said. "You're our guests. Just sit back and relax. Would you guys like something to drink?" Clint and Natasha both asked for water and Harry grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and tossed them to Clint and Natasha. As always, Natasha caught them both with ease. As if it didn't even faze her.

Moments later, Natasha's father entered the kitchen and wrapped Natasha up in a big hug. She had seen her father for Thanksgiving but this was the first time she'd actually seen him without other family members around. When Mr. Romanoff released Natasha, he offered his hand up to Clint for a handshake. Though Mr. Romanoff was willing to let Clint marry Natasha, Mr. Romanoff still felt kind of awkward to think of Clint as his son-in-law.

Clint, Natasha, and Mr. Romanoff were in the middle of a simple conversation about finals coming up when Mr. Osborn strode into the kitchen. He made a bee-line straight for the pot of stew that Peter had been tending to earlier and lifted the lid to check on it. When he placed the lid back on it, he turned back to look at his guests.

"Ah, you must be Natasha and Clint," Mr. Osborn said as he came around the island in the middle of the kitchen to shake Natasha and Clint's hands. Natasha and Clint both shook Mr. Osborn's hand with small smiles on their faces. "Your father talks about you a lot, Natasha. And I know it's a little late but congratulations on your marriage. From the way your father talks about both of you, you're both in it for the long haul."

Clint and Natasha let out awkward laughs and Natasha shot a look at her father. Mr. Romanoff just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, shall we head into the dining room?" Mr. Osborn asked.

Mr. Osborn gestured for his guests to join him and they followed him into the dining room. As always, Clint pulled the chair out for Natasha to let her sit down. Then, he collapsed into the chair to her right while Mr. Romanoff sat down in the chair to Natasha's right. Peter was the last to enter the dining room. He came in carrying the pot of stew, setting it directly in the middle of the table.

When everyone was seated, Mr. Osborn gestured for everyone to help themselves. Harry and Peter both lunged for the dinner rolls while Natasha handed Clint her bowl to spoon some of the stew into it. Everyone sat in silence while they ate their dinner. Forks scraped across plates. Dinner rolls disappeared from the plate in the middle of the table and little by little, the stew began to dissipate.

As everyone began to finish up their dinner, Mr. Osborn started to ask Clint and Natasha simple questions about school and their marriage. How well have they been doing in school? Do they like their classes? Their professors? How does it feel to be married? What's it like to finally live together?

"Oh, we kind of lived together in high school," Clint said. Mr. Osborn raised an eyebrow and Clint quickly corrected himself. "I mean, when Mr. Romanoff was working in the city during the week, Natasha stayed home alone. She got a little paranoid at one point so I just asked her to stay at my house during the school week."

"Oh, well, such a gentleman," Mr. Osborn said.

"He always has been," Natasha said as she turned her head to face Clint and gave him a small smile. "Even when we were little."

"How sweet," Mr. Osborn said. He turned his attention to his son, seated on his left. "Now Peter's got a nice girl, and Clint and Natasha have each other. Where's a nice girl you can call yours?"

Harry's cheeks burned as he shrunk back into his chair. Natasha's jaw dropped at the rude comment Mr. Osborn had spat to his only child and Clint stared in disbelief. "Dad," Harry groaned. "I'm perfectly fine without a girlfriend."

"Well, you better start working on it. You're 19 years old," Mr. Osborn grumbled. Natasha, her mouth still hanging open and her eyes wide with shock, turned her head towards her father to get some reinforcement. When her eyes met her father's, Mr. Romanoff just nodded, as if to tell her that this was normal.

Everyone seated around the dining room table sat in an awkward silence for a couple minutes before Mr. Osborn broke the silence. "So, who wants dessert? We ordered a cheesecake from Junior's." Mr. Osborn's dinner guests nodded in agreement and Mr. Osborn retreated back into the kitchen to grab the cheesecake from the fridge.

"Wow," was all Natasha managed to say once Mr. Osborn was out of earshot.

"Don't worry about it Natasha. I'm used to it," Harry said waving off her comment. Natasha was about to open her mouth to say something when Mr. Osborn strode back into the dining room with a large cheesecake. He cut each person a slice and handed it to them. They ate their dessert in silence. When everyone was finished, Mr. Osborn collected the plates and took them into the kitchen to leave them for the butlers and maids to clean.

Natasha checked the time on her phone and looked at Clint. She didn't say anything to him, but she tried to convey that she was ready to go home. "Mr. Osborn," Clint said as gently as he could, "We are very sorry to do this to but we must get going. Tasha has a six page paper to start writing and I have an exam to study for." It wasn't a total lie. Clint really did have an exam to study for, but that exam wasn't until the end of the week. And yes, Natasha did have a six page paper to write, but obviously, that paper wasn't going to be due until the end of the week either.

"Oh no problem!" Mr. Osborn said. "Understood. It was great to finally meet you two!"

Clint and Natasha responded in agreement and headed towards the door. Mr. Romanoff followed to see them out. As they waited for the elevator to reach their floor, Clint, Natasha, and Mr. Romanoff stood in silence.

"Is he always like that with Harry?" Natasha asked, breaking the silence.

"Unfortunately," Mr. Romanoff sighed. "Norman actually is a very nice man but he blames his son for killing his wife during childbirth."

"You've got to be kidding me. That was 19 years ago!" Natasha hissed. She felt like flying off the handle but if she did, her temper tantrum would possibly echo throughout the entire penthouse.

"I know, but can you blame the guy?" Mr. Romanoff said, almost fixing his gaze on Clint.

"Don't look at me!" Clint said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Just saying," Mr. Romanoff said.

The elevator pinged to signal that it had reached their floor and the doors slid open. Natasha leaned in and hugged her father before stepping onto the elevator. Natasha held the door for Clint while he shook her father's hand and then he loaded onto the elevator. Natasha waved one last time at her dad before the elevator doors closed.

* * *

"I just…I can't believe that!" Natasha groaned as she pulled off her cardigan. She tossed it into the hamper in the corner of the closet and then walked back into the bedroom where Clint was lying on the bed still fully dressed. "I mean, out of something utterly tragic, he got a son and he has blamed that son for his entire life for killing the one person he truly loved. That's absolutely heartbreaking."

"Nat, I hate to tell you this, but I kind of don't blame the guy," Clint said.

"What?" she said.

"Well, okay, resenting his child for his entire life is harsh, but I understand why your dad looked at me when he asked if we blamed him. I don't blame him. I understand. If that were us Tasha, if I lost you during childbirth, I'm pretty sure I would hold a bit of a grudge towards our child for taking you away from me," Clint said. "I'd still love our kid because I'm not cold hearted but I'd have a hard time watching it grow up and see parts of you in him or her."

Natasha felt the corners of her mouth twitch just slightly as she crossed the room and climbed on top of Clint. She felt his hands rest on her waist while she tangled her fingers into his hair and her green eyes stared into his blue-grey ones. "I see your point, but I wouldn't do that to you," she said as her fingertips brushed against his jaw. "You know I wouldn't give up without a fight."

"So that whole thing with pneumonia was just a fluke?" he teased and she punched him in the ribs.

"You know what I mean. I wouldn't leave you, Clint Barton, without it being okay with you first," Natasha said.

"I'm holding you to that," he said.

Natasha felt a smile spread across her face. "Now, I believe we had a deal."

"I was a very good boy at dinner," he said as a big grin spread across his face.

"Yes you were," she purred as she leaned forward to press her lips to his. She felt his hands run up her legs until they rested underneath her dress on her waist. He tugged at the dress to let her know he was going to lift it off of her. She nodded and he pulled the dress over her head, leaving her in her underwear and bra.

Natasha fingered the top of Clint's dress shirt and started to undo the buttons. One by one, they came undone and Clint slipped the shirt off, throwing it onto the floor to join Natasha's red dress. "I thought you had some studying to do," Natasha asked in between kisses.

"Studying the French Revolution can wait. I'm working on studying Anatomy right now," Clint joked.

Natasha giggled as Clint pushed her off of him and then straddled her on the bed, crushing his lips against hers.

* * *

**Well, there you have it! You have officially met Mr. Osborn and he's not too nice to Harry. And when Mr. Osborn mentioned that Peter had a girlfriend, I wasn't quite sure _who_ to make his girlfriend. If you guys are into the Spider-Man universe, let me know who you want to be Peter's girlfriend in the event that I have Harry and Peter show up again. Will it be Gwen Stacy? Mary Jane Watson? Betty** **Brant? Let me know who you prefer Peter Parker with.**

**And can I get an "Awwwwww" for Clint and Natasha? Clint would be absolutely heartbroken if he had to watch his future son or daughter grow up without Natasha. Can you blame him? By the way, kids may come for Clint and Natasha in the future. As in, after-they-graduate-college-and-get-jobs future. But I'm pretty sure I'll include kids for them in this. But for now, they're just married college students who are living the good life in New York City.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! This was a bit of a long update so let me know what you think of dinner with Mr. Osborn and all the Clint and Natasha fluff. Also, if there's something you would like to read about Clint and Natasha, let me know! I'll try to incorporate it. If you have already told me about something you'd like to read for Clint and Natasha, keep in mind I go back to school Saturday so it may be a while but I WILL get to it.**


	5. Jealousy

**This one is for Abstractly Sydney. Clint's jealousy may or may not get the best of him. Also, my crush on Jeremy Renner is showing. Bear with me haha. Hope it lives up to what you wanted Abstractly Sydney. Enjoy!**

* * *

A new year. A new semester. New classes. New professors. Clint and Natasha walked hand in hand as they headed towards campus. It was a cold January day and the news was calling for some snow flurries later in the day. Natasha was bundled up in her black peacoat with a scarf tied around her neck while Clint was wearing his fleece North Face jacket.

They were both heading to the arts and science building for their first classes of the day. Clint was headed to his German class while Natasha was headed to her French literature class. Both of them had decided to take different languages than the other. They figured that if they both took different languages, they could come home and teach each other. They were fast learners, and knowing a lot of languages would look good on a résumé.

Clint held the door open for Natasha when they reached the building and she stepped inside with Clint on her heels. They climbed the steps to the second floor where Natasha's French class was taking place; Clint's German class would be one floor up. They stopped outside of the classroom and Clint placed a soft kiss on her lips before heading back into the stairwell to walk up to the third floor.

Natasha headed into the classroom and took a seat in the second row of desks. She looked around at the students who had already arrived for class. There hadn't been many seats available for this class so Natasha hadn't expected many students to be in the class. She reached down into her backpack and pulled out her textbook.

She began skimming some of the literature excerpts when out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone sit down in the desk to her right. Out of strange instinct, her eyes flitted over to the person in the seat next to her. She recognized the boy. The boy, Josh, had been in her Honors Intermediate French class, as well as her Russian literature class. She remembered him telling their French class about how he was interested in languages and traveling the world to study the various cultures the languages belonged to.

He was also interested in Natasha. He had constantly flirted with Natasha in French class by reciting romantic lines from classic literature. Except he spoke it in French. If it had been Clint, it would've brought Natasha to her knees. But this guy, it was just incredibly annoying.

She'd never told Clint about this flirtatious behavior from this guy because she had been pretty sure she could handle it on her own. Many times she had told Josh that she was married and flashed the Tiffany diamonds rings to let it be known that it was true. But she mostly didn't tell Clint because she knew how he would get. She remembered how he got when Alexei came into the picture. Clint never threatened the guy or anything, but he got really worked up over it. Now that they were married, she wasn't quite sure how far Clint would go to make it known that Natasha was his wife.

"Bonjour mon chérie," Josh said with a smile.

Natasha sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Josh, how many times do I have to tell you that I am _married_?"

"That means we can't be friends, mon amour?" he exclaimed.

"My husband has been my best friend since I was five. We have been romantically involved since I was fourteen. What else will convince you?" she said through clenched teeth.

"Rien," he said.

"I swear to God, if you don't stop, I will unleash his five-foot-ten-inch football playing frame on your sorry ass," she growled.

"J'adore ton attitude courageuse," he purred.

Natasha let out another sigh and opened her mouth to hurl another threat at him when their professor strode into the room. Natasha let out a sigh of relief. It seemed as if Josh wasn't going to back down, then maybe it was about time she told Clint.

* * *

The moment Professor Gabriel dismissed them, Natasha was out of her seat in a flash. She walked down the hall at a brisk pace towards the stairwell. Taking two steps at a time, she made it to the third floor in no time and searched for room 340. When she found it, she could hear the buzz of voices conversing in German. Clint's class was supposed to be done around the same time as hers so she just leaned against the wall outside the door and waited patiently.

She heard the professor dismiss the class and she heard the rustle of papers and the shuffling of feet as students began to trickle out of the classroom. Clint was one of the last students out of the room as usual. He greeted her with a smile and soft kiss on the lips. When he pulled away, he could just tell that something was wrong.

"Okay, spill," he said firmly.

"Seriously Clint?" she whined. She should've been used to his strange sixth sense to tell when something was wrong but one little kiss from her and he could already tell something was off.

"It's a gift," he boasted as Natasha punched him in the arm. "Now seriously, what's wrong?"

Natasha took a deep breath and then let it out. "If I ask you not to get mad, are you going to get mad anyways?"

"Depends on what you're going to tell me," he said with a slight edge in his voice.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "There's this kid who's been in some of my language classes. He was in my French class last semester and my Russian literature class last spring and now he's in my French literature class with me."

"Okay, so? That's pure coincidence."

"He flirts with me all the time," Natasha deadpanned.

Clint's face went blank as he blinked at Natasha. "Did you tell him you're married?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Trust me. I've tried," she huffed.

"What's his name?"

"Josh."

"How old is he?"

"I don't know. I guess the same age as me? Give or take a year?"

"Is he good looking?"

"Clint, really?" she whined. She took a step forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to pull him closer. She reached behind Clint's head and pulled it down closer to her. "You know that there is only one person I find slightly more attractive than you and that is Jeremy Renner. Everyone else doesn't compare."

"But you said I look like Jeremy Renner. How can you find him more attractive if we look alike?"

"He's a movie star and a two-time Academy Award nominee. You can't beat that," Natasha teased.

"You've got a point, and don't change the subject," he said with a smirk.

"I thought I'd try," she said with a smirk that rivaled his.

"If he keeps flirting with you, tell me and I'll take care of it," Clint said.

"Clint, don't resort to violence," she sighed.

"Who said anything about violence?"

"You've got that look in your eye."

"That's called passion, love."

* * *

The flirtatious behavior didn't stop. For the most part, Natasha tried to ignore it by looking over her notes or reviewing the reading they had to do for homework. Josh always tried to get her to talk to him. Even though she didn't want to, she had to because Professor Gabriel always partnered them for in-class readings.

"Did he flirt with you today?" Clint had asked one night. Natasha was lying on her stomach on the floor of the living room next to the couch, reading through her textbook for her government class. Clint was also lying on his stomach, but on the couch with one of his arms dangling over the side so he could draw patterns on Natasha's back.

"Do you even have to ask?" she asked.

"Do I really need to show myself and scare him?" Clint mused.

"Clint, to tell you the truth, he really is a nice guy. He is just incredibly annoying. And I don't want any serious conflict."

"It's frustrating. I mean seriously, what part of _married_ doesn't he understand?" Clint grumbled.

"I'm getting a little sick of repeating myself too, but there really isn't anything we can do."

They sat in silence as Clint continued to trace patterns on Natasha's back while she skimmed her textbook one more time to get the gist of the material. After a couple more minutes, Clint slid off of the couch and lied on his side next to Natasha, propping his head up with his arm.

"I think I've got an idea," Clint announced.

"Clint, don't do anything that's going to land you in jail," Natasha said, rolling her green eyes in his direction.

"I'm not going to," he said placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Then what _are_ you going to do?" she asked.

"You'll see."

* * *

The next time Natasha had her French literature class, Clint had walked with her to the classroom before heading to his German class. She half expected him to stick around to wait for Josh to appear but the moment she headed into the classroom, Clint had disappeared to head to his own class.

Natasha's French literature class had gone by like it usually did. There was a review of the readings they had to do for homework. They engaged in a short conversation about the reading, completely in French. They were assigned a reading to do in class. And of course, Josh flirted with Natasha. A lot.

When Professor Gabriel dismissed the class, Natasha packed up her textbook, notebook, and pens, and she swung her backpack onto her back. She headed out of the room and she could sense Josh on her heels. The moment she was out in the hallway, she turned around to face him.

"Need something?" Natasha asked.

"I was wondering if you'd like to get some coffee and do that reading together, mon amour," Josh asked.

"Could you stop with the pet names? My husband doesn't even use them very often," Natasha said, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

"Sorry, mon chérie," Josh said.

Natasha rolled her eyes. She was about to say something when she heard Clint call her name. She turned around just in time for him to crush his lips to hers and dip her. She nearly lost her balance but Clint steadied her. The kiss was long and passionate but Natasha knew the motive behind it. She knew it was because he wanted Josh to know that she belonged to Clint.

When Clint pulled her back up to a standing position, her head was dizzy. She grabbed Clint by the elbow to steady herself but Clint wasn't focused on Natasha. His eyes were focused in a stone cold glare at Josh.

"So, have I made it _very_ clear that she is taken?" Clint asked icily.

"C-crystal," Josh stammered. Josh was a small guy, maybe only five-foot-two, so Clint towered over him.

"I don't have a problem with my wife having guy friends, but if you continue to flirt with her, you will be on my shit list," Clint said.

"Understood," Josh said with a nod. Josh gave Natasha a nod as he brushed past her and walked down the hall at a brisk pace. Natasha waited for him to disappear around the corner before she turned to face Clint.

"That was very threatening yet romantic at the same time," Natasha said, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Just what I was aiming for," Clint said as he leaned in to kiss Natasha on the lips.

She pulled back just a bit, but enough that her lips were just inches away from his. "You're actually kind of sexy when you're jealous."

"Sexier than Jeremy Renner?" he asked seductively as he leaned in closer.

"There's a possibility that you two might be neck and neck," she teased. Clint chuckled as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately and deeply. He didn't care if people looked at them funny. If any guys were passing by them, he wanted to make sure that they knew that Natasha was his.

* * *

**I seriously have an unhealthy obsession with Jeremy Renner haha. But I hope Clint was jealous enough for you guys.**

**Alright you guys, I'm off to school tomorrow! Hooray! Feel so good to be going back but I'm sad the summer's over. I did so much writing! Like I've said before, bear with me for the time being until maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks. Updates will be sporadic until then. Maybe I can crank out another update on Wednesday but that's a big MAYBE. I'll see how my classes go. If you've put in to have a one-shot prompt done for Clint and Natasha, please be patient. However, Greenfeather of Moonclan, your prompt will be next when I get the chance to update again.**

**French translations:**

**mon cherie - my darling**

**mon amour - my love**

**rien - nothing**

**J'adore ton attitude courageuse - I adore your feisty attitude**

**(I am in fact a French minor but even I make mistakes. Plus, I still don't think I'm very good at French even after taking it for five years in high school and taking two college courses on it so far haha.)  
**

**Alright, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of this guy flirting with Natasha and Clint swooping in to save the day.**


	6. Surprise

**Phew! Survived the first two days of classes. Hooray! As for the rest of the week...well, who knows. What I do know is that I cranked this little story out for you guys. This one is for Greenfeather of Moonclan. She wanted me to write a story about either Clint or Natasha throwing a party for the other and everything gets out of control. Well, Natasha tries to throw a surprise party for Clint's 21st birthday and everything goes wrong. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a while since Natasha and Clint had seen Steve, Thor, Peggy, Jane and the rest of their friends. In fact, the last time they probably saw them was at their wedding. Despite being married, Clint and Natasha had their college classes to tend to, as did their friends. However, that didn't mean that they didn't keep in touch and miss each other.

So when February rolled around and Clint's 21st birthday drew closer, Natasha hoped to devise a plan to get all of their friends together for a party for Clint. It was going to be hard to keep it from Clint. He could always tell when something was bugging her, so if her mind was preoccupied with planning the party, he would know something was up.

For the most part, she had to restrict her party planning to when Clint was in class or was taking a nap on the couch on the days he had his early classes. Even then she had to leave the room and go up to the office on the third floor to make phone calls and send emails. She felt horrible for keeping this behind Clint's back, but in the end, she hoped it was worth it.

It was great that Clint's birthday fell on a Saturday. That way, those that were traveling from far and wide – such as Steve who was coming from Notre Dame in Indiana and Jane who was coming from Harvard in Boston – and those that had the usual Monday through Friday job – such as Clint's brother Barney – could attend. It wasn't going to be an easy feat but Natasha believed she could pull it off on her own.

The week of Clint's 21st surprise birthday party, he became suspicious when Natasha started stocking up on alcohol. Being only 20 years old, Natasha wasn't old enough to buy alcohol or drink it in public, but her grandparents were nice enough to buy her alcohol as long as she promised to drink responsibly and not get caught.

"Any particular reason you're stocking up on alcohol? Is it the end of the world?" Clint asked as he picked up a bottle of Absolut Vodka and studied it.

Natasha snatched the bottle out of his hand so she could stow it underneath the sink in the kitchen. "Can't two college students stock up on alcohol without question?" she had said. It was a perfectly valid excuse and Clint bought it.

When Friday rolled around, Natasha tried to avoid Clint as much as possible. She didn't want him to figure out that she was trying to arrange a surprise birthday bash for him. She knew it was cold-hearted and cruel to avoid him, but she didn't want to risk spoiling the surprise.

She had made arrangements with her grandparents to let all of their guests stay with them until the surprise party on Saturday. After that, everyone would relocate to Natasha and Clint's townhouse in The Village for the remainder of the weekend. Natasha's grandparents had more than enough room to accommodate Natasha and Clint's friends for one night, and Clint and Natasha had more than enough room at the townhouse too.

Around five o'clock Friday evening, texts from Jane and Peggy reached Natasha's phone. They had been the first ones – along with Thor – to arrive at Natasha's grandparents' apartment. Natasha sent them a quick message about the game plan for Saturday.

While she was in the middle of sending another text to Jane, a phone call interrupted her. The screen flashed Clint's name. She hesitated to answer it but ultimately slid her finger across the screen and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hey Nat," Clint said almost immediately. "I'm sorry I'm running late. I ordered a package from Amazon and I had it sent to your grandparents' apartment instead of our place because someone needed to sign for it. I'm headed up there now."

"What? Now?" Natasha said, panicked.

"Yeah, now. I'm going to be late so do you just want me to pick up dinner from Shake Shack when I'm on my way home?"

"No!" Natasha nearly screamed into the phone. "I mean, yeah, that would be great. Umm, how far away are you from my grandparents' apartment."

"Umm…" Clint trailed off. She heard him shift in his seat as he scooted to the edge to most likely peer out the window. "We're just passing The Plaza right now."

"_Right now?_" she nearly shrieked.

"Yes, Tasha," he said wearily.

"Okay, okay, sorry," she apologized. "Just get me a burger and I'll split some cheese fries with you."

"Fuck that. Get your own cheese fries. I don't share them with anyone," Clint teased.

"Okay, whatever," she said hurriedly. She had to get off the phone and let Jane, Peggy, and Thor know that Clint was on his way. They had to hide immediately. "I'll see you when you get home."

The bid goodbye to each other and Natasha hung up the phone, only to immediately dial Jane's phone. Natasha bounced up and down out of anxiety as she waited for Jane to answer. When she did, Natasha nearly screamed at her.

"You have to hide and stay quiet. Clint's on his way to my grandparents' apartment. He just passed The Plaza so he should be there any minute." Immediately, Natasha heard Jane start to order around Peggy and Thor. She could hear them scrambling in the background as they struggled to find a decent hiding spot. Natasha's grandparents' apartment was large but there was no telling where Clint would go when he got there.

* * *

Clint slammed the door of the town car as he rushed into the lobby of 834 Fifth Avenue. He wanted to grab his parcel from upstairs and then get home to Natasha, even if she had been acting weird all day. That phone call was no exception either. She hadn't quite snapped at him, but it was almost as if she was on edge.

He loaded on to the private elevator up to the penthouse and he felt the elevator give a sickening lurch as it shot upwards. It wasn't long until he reached the penthouse and it was eerily quiet. Natasha's grandparents were out to dinner with some friends so he knew they weren't home.

He stepped off the elevator and headed into the kitchen. Natasha's grandparents mentioned that they left the package on the counter where he could easily see it. Sure enough, there it was. He grabbed the package and quickly made his way back to elevator. His wife was waiting for him.

* * *

When Clint reached the lobby of 834 Fifth Avenue, he immediately stepped out of the elevator and rushed out to the sidewalk so the chauffeur driving him in the town car didn't have to keep waiting any longer. Clint placed his hand on the handle of the back door when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blonde, broad shouldered boy stepping out of a similar black town car. Clint turned his head, and to his surprise, he saw Steve.

"Steve!" Clint called, backing away from his own town car and making his way over to Steve. Clint saw Steve's eyes go wide with shock as he stiffened and then turned his back to Clint. "Steve! What are you doing here?"

"I don't know who this Steve person is but I believe you have me mistaken for someone else," Steve said gruffly, trying to disguise his voice.

"Cut the crap Steve. I know it's you," Clint said. Steve's shoulders relaxed before he hesitated to turn around. He sighed and turned around to face his best friend.

"Hey Clint," Steve said, sounding almost defeated.

"What are you doing here?" Clint asked.

"Oh, I just…wanted to see the city," Steve lied.

"So, you're staying with Natasha's grandparents?" Clint asked.

"Who said anything about staying with Natasha's grandparents? Maybe I'm staying with someone else in this building," Steve said.

"Yeah right Steve. Like you know anyone else who lives at 834 Fifth Avenue," Clint said.

"How do you know?" Steve countered, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You would've mentioned it if you did," Clint said. Clint stared down the blonde before saying anything else. "So really, what are you going here?"

Steve stared at Clint blankly before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Natasha has this big 21st surprise birthday party planned for you tomorrow. She invited a whole bunch of us to surprise you. We're staying here so you wouldn't know but I guess the cat's out of the bag."

"When you mean 'we' and 'us,' who do you mean?" Clint asked.

"Me, Thor, Peggy, and Jane. She even got a hold of Bruce and Stark out in California and they're flying in tomorrow. Apparently, Stark and Bruce are pretty good friends now," Steve said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh and Pepper, Maria, Loki, your friend Janet from Penn State, Harry Osborn and Peter Parker, and even your brother."

Clint looked at Steve in awe. Clint had done so much for Natasha over the years. What she had done for him didn't even stack up. The fact that she had coordinated all of this just for his 21st birthday made him feel incredibly lucky that he had married her.

"Please don't tell her I told you," Steve pleaded. "Try to act surprised tomorrow."

Clint nodded. "I promise I'll act surprised. I won't tell her either."

"Good," Steve sighed.

"I've got to go. I need to pick up dinner for Tasha and I. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Steve nodded in response as Clint backed away quickly to load into his own town car. Clint politely asked the driver to stop at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park on their way back so he could pick up dinner.

When Clint arrived home with his hands full of food, Natasha greeted him with a quick kiss on the lips and offered to take some of the things out of his hands. Clint obliged as she grabbed the tray of milkshakes and he followed her up the stairs to the kitchen. They sat down together at the table, enjoying their meal and sipping on milkshakes. Clint was even gracious enough to share his cheese fries. After learning about his surprise 21st birthday party tomorrow night, he felt that Natasha deserved to share his cheese fries with him.

* * *

"Thor, be careful with those!" Natasha squealed as she walked into the living room. Thor had his arms laden with several bottles of alcohol and one of them was teetering on the edge of plummeting to the floor. She rushed over to Thor's side and grabbed the bottle just as it was about to slip.

"Sorry Mrs. Barton," Thor said as Natasha began to unload the bottles of alcohol from his arms. Natasha scowled at how Thor addressed her; she only liked it when Clint called her Mrs. Barton.

"What time are Clint's parents bringing him back from dinner?" Peggy asked as she strode into the living room with two bottles of whiskey, one in each hand. Clint's parents had been in on the plan from the beginning. Natasha knew they wouldn't be up for drinking with a bunch of college students so Natasha had asked if they would be willing to take Clint out to dinner while Natasha set up for the party. Natasha thought it had been strange when Clint didn't question it when Natasha said that she wasn't joining them because she thought Clint's parents deserved some alone time with their son. Usually, with an excuse like that, Clint would ask what was wrong but he had just shrugged his shoulders, kissed her on the lips, and followed his parents out the door.

"They should be bringing him back around eight," Natasha said, glancing at the clock on her phone. "All of our friends should be arriving within the hour."

Almost instantly, the doorbell rang and Natasha raced to the front door to answer it. Even though Clint wasn't supposed to be home for a few more hours, Natasha wanted to get everyone in the house as quick as possible. Every time the doorbell rang, she would rush to the door, open it, look around suspiciously, and then pull her guests into the house.

When eight o'clock started to roll around, some of the guests had already gotten a little tipsy. Thor and Steve were in the corner of the living room, drunkenly singing "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls after downing half a bottle of bourbon together. Peggy was wobbling just a little bit in her five inch heels and Jane was discussing the molecular structure of cotton candy with Tony and Bruce.

Natasha had been glued to the front window to keep a look out for Clint when Harry came over and tapped her on the shoulder. He shoved a glass of dark red wine in her hands. "You need to relax," Harry said.

"I mean, what if he's not surprised? What if he doesn't like it?" Natasha wondered.

"He'll like it. He'll be surprised. If you did this all for him, he'll like it no matter what," Harry said and then sauntered off to the back of the living room.

Natasha continued to be on the lookout for Clint as she sipped the red wine from the glass. Normally she didn't drink wine. If she was going to drink, it was "go big or go home." However, the dark red wine wasn't so bad.

When Natasha finished her first glass, she went to find Harry to get a refill. She knew it was a bad idea to leave the window because Clint was expected back any minute but she wanted more of that wine. A little wine couldn't hurt anyways.

"Natasha," Thor slurred as he cut off Natasha on her path to the back of the living room. "Yeh haven' had a shot with us yet."

"No thanks," Natasha said firmly. "I'm just going to go get more wine."

"Come on," Thor slurred as Natasha pushed past him.

"I'm waiting for Clint to get back," Natasha shouted over her shoulder as she reached Harry and Peter at the back of the living room. Peter had brought his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. She was a petite girl with blonde hair and blue doe eyes. She was every bit the science nerd as Peter was which made them a perfect match.

"One shot won't hurt Natasha," Gwen said as Peter nodded in agreement. "Do it for your friend Thor. If you don't do one with him, I'm sure he'll do about five more to make it fair."

Natasha sighed. She set the wine glass down on the table, pointing to the glass silently to let Harry know that she wanted it refilled by the time she got back.

"Alright Thor," Natasha announced when she reached him. He had a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and a shot glass in the other.

"Yes!" Thor boomed when Natasha had succumbed to his drunken peer pressure. He grabbed another shot glass from the table and poured Natasha a shot of whiskey. He handed her the shot glass and then poured one for himself. Setting the bottle of whiskey on the table, he picked up his shot glass and held it up in cheers. Natasha's shot glass collided with Thor's and they tossed back the strong liquid.

Thor slammed the shot glass down on the table and then immediately starting tugging at his t-shirt. He pulled it over his head to reveal his toned torso and then tossed his t-shirt on the floor.

"Thor, what are you doing?" Natasha asked.

"Everyone gather round!" Thor boomed over the buzz of the guests talking. "We're doing body shots!" He bumped the table, causing some of the bottles of alcohol to clink together. The shot glass Thor used to down his whiskey went hurtling to the floor and shattered into a hundred tiny pieces.

Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Really Thor?"

Once the table was cleared of shot glasses and bottles of alcohol, Thor jumped on the table and lied on his back. The table wobbled underneath his weight and Natasha just hoped this was going to be a quick ordeal. Her eyes immediately flitted to the front door and then the window. She still hadn't returned to her perch so she just hoped Clint didn't show up within the next couple of minutes.

Jane had gotten up from her seat on the couch and began pouring drops of alcohol on Thor's torso. When she had finished, she licked one of puddles up with her tongue, moaned in delight, and then kissed Thor, instantly shoving her tongue in his mouth.

"Alright, Natasha's turn!" Jane announced when she pulled away from Thor, wiping her mouth devoid of the excess saliva and alcohol.

"No!" Natasha said firmly. "I _am not_ doing that!"

"Would you like to wait for Clint to get here to do it off of him?" Jane suggested. "Or are you a scaredy cat?'

"Really? What are we four?" Natasha said as she rolled her eyes.

"Just do it," Jane demanded, pointing to Thor. Jane was normally very sweet and understanding. But get a couple drinks in her and she becomes extremely aggressive.

Natasha rolled her eyes and approached the table. She bent over Thor's bare torso and wrinkled her nose in disgust at what she was about to do. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue to lick up the alcohol.

The moment her tongue connected with Thor's skin, she heard a voice come from the front door.

"What's going on?"

Natasha recognized Clint's voice and she immediately backed away from Thor, swallowing her saliva and the little bit of alcohol she managed to lap up. Her eyes were wide with shock as she watched Clint look around in confusion.

"Umm, surprise?" Natasha said awkwardly with an equally awkward laugh.

"Oh, so _that's_ why you wouldn't come to dinner with us. You just wanted to lick alcohol off of my best friend's chest. I see how it is," Clint joked.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "It was supposed to be a surprise party for your 21st birthday but that didn't go according to plan."

Clint crossed the room to Natasha, announcing that everyone could resume drinking and partying. Immediately, Thor jumped off the table and put his shirt back on, then grabbed Jane by the waist and led her to a more secluded spot in the living room.

"I swear, this is not what it looks like," Natasha said, holding her hands up in defense.

Clint chuckled. "I know it's not. I'm just messing with you."

"This is not how I wanted this to play out."

"It's okay, Nat," Clint said. "Even if I did know about the party, I was still just as surprised."

Natasha raised her eyebrows up at Clint. "You knew? Who fucking told you?"

Clint's eyes roamed the room to find Steve. He found him in the corner of the room, nursing a bottle of tequila in his lap while Peggy drunkenly ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Natasha followed Clint's line of sight, her eyes immediately landing on Steve. She narrowed her eyes at the blonde as she glared at him.

"I am going to kick his ass tomorrow morning," Natasha snarled.

"Don't blame him. I promised I wouldn't mention it to you but I figured you should know that your surprise party wasn't much of a surprise anymore," Clint said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Natasha frowned and hung her head in defeat. She felt Clint's hand reach underneath her chin and pulled her face back up to look at him.

"Hey, I was still surprised. Not quite for the reasons you intended, but I was still surprised," Clint said with a chuckle.

Natasha rolled her eyes and then gently shoved Clint. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close before gently brushing his lips against hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as he brought his hands up to her face. When he pulled away, he scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Ew, kissing you tastes like Thor's pecs," Clint teased.

"Shut it Barton, or your ass is sleeping on the couch with your drunken friends."

* * *

**Oh jeez. Damn college students. Oh wait, I'm a college student. I can honestly tell you that things do get out of control like that. There was even a riot Saturday night off-campus and students from my school tried to flip a bus. Only during Welcome Week, I tell ya. But anyways, I hope you liked it, Greenfeather of Moonclan! If you guys would like to see me write something for Clint and Natasha, let me know! Don't be shy! I will honestly try my best to incorporate it. If you guys don't have any ideas, my next story will be about Clint getting sick and things go horribly wrong. Just remember, my fall semester just started so I don't know when I'll get some writing in. Just be patient please!**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Clint's botched surprise 21st birthday party.**


	7. Appendicitis

**Looky here! I've got another story for you guys! I got my assignments done early so I could crank this lovely little gem out for you. In this story, Clint gets appendicitis. Uh oh! I hope you like it! Enjoy!**

* * *

It was about four o'clock in the morning when Natasha felt Clint push away from her and scramble out of bed. In her half-asleep haze, she heard Clint sprint to the bathroom and throw up all the contents in his stomach. For a couple minutes, she just let him go. She knew that if she went in there, Clint would yell at her because she could get sick from being around him. But after a while, Clint didn't come back to bed, so Natasha sleepily pushed herself into a sitting position, swung her legs over the edge, and grabbed Clint's sweatshirt from the foot of the bed and pulled it on.

She padded over to the door of the bathroom – which Clint had slammed shut in his haste to throw up – and softly knocked on the door. She heard Clint moan out of discomfort on the other end.

"Clint, are you okay?" Natasha asked with a yawn. Clint had an eight a.m. class today, and if he wasn't feeling good, she was going to have to send an email to his professors that he wasn't going to make it to class today.

"No," Clint moaned from the other side of the door.

"I'm coming in," she said as she pushed open the bathroom door. When she walked in, Clint was curled up into a ball on the floor. One of his arms was wrapped around the right side of his body, as if he was trying to hold himself together. Natasha quickly rushed to his side and knelt down next to him. She felt his forehead and then brushed her fingers against his cheek.

"Clint, what's wrong?" she asked as she felt his forehead again. Clint rarely got sick. It was usually Natasha who was the one who got sick so it was strange for the tables to be turned.

"I don't know," he moaned as he squirmed out of discomfort.

"Why don't you try sitting up, okay? I'll help you," she said calmly as she moved behind him. She gently put her hands on his shoulders and helped pull him up into a sitting position. Natasha was leaning against the side of the bathtub with Clint's back resting against her chest. His arm hadn't moved from being wrapped around the right side of his body.

"Tell me what's wrong, Clint," she murmured as she rested her chin on Clint's shoulder.

Clint took a deep breath. "I don't know. I just threw up and the right side of my body hurts."

"You're burning up too," Natasha added as she pressed her hand to the side of Clint's face.

Clint groaned as he squirmed out of discomfort again. "God, it fucking hurts."

"Clint, what hurts? Tell me what hurts," Natasha pleaded. When Clint had gotten into that car accident, she never really saw him in pain. After he'd been released from the hospital, he would wince in pain if he moved a certain way but even that was barely enough for Natasha to handle. Right now, it broke her heart to watch him writhe on the floor in pain.

"My side, Nat," he groaned. Natasha reached up to push his hand away but he wouldn't budge.

"Clint," she muttered calmly in his ear. "I can't see what's wrong if you don't move your hand."

With reluctance, Clint slid his arm away from his side as Natasha grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up. She didn't have to pull it up very far because his lower abdomen was extremely swollen. Natasha reached out her hand to touch it when Clint stopped her.

"Don't touch it!" he snapped.

"Clint, don't yell at me. I'm only trying to help," she shot back. Clint sighed as he relaxed against Natasha. She reached out once again to run her fingers over the swollen area. Clint winced when Natasha's fingers made contact with his skin and brushed over the tender area.

She'd watched enough medical shows to know what was wrong with Clint, but she wasn't too sure. However, the fever, the swollen abdomen, and vomiting were clear enough indicators.

"Clint - ," she started but was cut off when Clint pushed away from her to throw up once again. He threw up all the contents of his stomach once again before pushing away from the toilet and resting against the side of the bathtub next to Natasha. He turned his head to face Natasha and offered her a weak smile.

"Sorry I snapped at you," he said apologetically.

"It's okay," she said, brushing stray pieces of hair from his forehead. "But Clint, I've got to take you to the hospital because I think you have appendicitis."

"Appendicitis?" he asked as he adjusted his position against the tub. "You've been watching too much _Grey's Anatomy_ lately."

"Hey, it could quite possibly save your life right now," Natasha teased as she pushed herself off of the floor into a standing position. Clint stayed put against the bathtub but his eyes followed Natasha as she stood up. "I'm going to go pack some stuff and call a car to drive us. Are you going to be okay for a couple minutes while I do that?"

Clint looked at Natasha with tired eyes before nodding. Natasha stared at him for a couple minutes before leaning down and gently brushing her lips against his. Sure he had just thrown up but he needed some kind of reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

"You're going to be okay Clint. I promise," Natasha said, placing her hands on both sides of Clint's face.

"Shit Tasha, you make it sound as if I'm going to die," Clint said.

"You could if your appendix ruptures and it isn't taken care of," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked out of the bathroom.

"That doesn't make me feel any better!"

* * *

By the time they'd reached the hospital, Clint was in so much pain that he couldn't even stand up straight. Natasha was by his side, stumbling along with him and trying to support most of his weight. When they had tried to sign in, the nurses brushed them off as they didn't matter and had told them to take a seat and fill out the forms. That's when Natasha snapped.

"You will get a fucking doctor to look at him unless you'd like him to upchuck all over your reception area," Natasha spat.

"Honey," one of the nurses said out of irritation. "I know you're concerned for your boyfriend but we have a lot of patients to tend to."

"_Boyfriend?_" Natasha shrieked. "_He is my fucking husband!_"

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down," one of the other nurses ordered.

"Nat, just calm down," Clint groaned. "Do it for me."

Natasha took a deep breath and then let it out. Her temper had been known to get the best of her. But that was usually when Bobbi Morse provoked her. However, this wasn't Bobbi Morse. These were trained medical personnel. The fact that they were telling Natasha and Clint that they had to sit and wait until a doctor was available was absolutely ridiculous in Natasha's eyes. She had told the nurses Clint's symptoms and it didn't even faze them that Clint could possibly have appendicitis.

"Look, I'm not telling you how to do your job, but I believe that my husband has appendicitis. He has been throwing up. He has a fever. His right side in swollen. It's been like this for a couple hours now and I, for one, do not want to risk it rupturing," Natasha said. "I don't know how long it takes for an appendix to rupture but I want my husband to avoid getting cut open as much as possible so if you could just figure it the fuck out, that would be great."

When she had finished her spiel, Natasha shot them a nasty look and then gently grabbed Clint by the waist to lead him over to the chairs. She helped lower him into one of the chairs and then she sat down next to him, rubbing his back in hopes that it made him feel better. Natasha kept her eyes focused on the nurses at the desk, glaring at them. Natasha figured one of them would cave eventually.

"I don't know what's sexier," Clint said. "Watching you take on four nurses to get your way or kissing me after I threw up."

Natasha let out a giggle at Clint's comment and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. "Why does this sort of shit always happen to us?"

"If you had just told me how sick you were when you had pneumonia, I wouldn't have had to resort to bring you here," Clint shot back weakly.

Natasha giggled as she continued to rub his back. They sat like that for a couple minutes in the waiting room. Every so often, Natasha would shoot a nasty look in the direction of the nurses. There were quite a few people in the waiting room and none of them were getting called back to be helped.

After a few more minutes, Clint pushed Natasha away from him and he sprinted to the nearest trash can to throw up again. As Natasha watched Clint throw up, she secretly wished that he had stayed put and just threw up on the floor to teach the nurses a lesson. When Natasha glanced back over at Clint, whose head was still shoved in the trash can, she'd had enough. She got up from her chair and wrapped an arm around Clint. He lifted his head when he was finished vomiting and looked at Natasha with confusion. All she did was steady him and lead him towards the doors that led further into the hospital.

"Excuse me, you can't go through there!" one of the nurses shouted.

"Fuck off!" Natasha shouted over her shoulder. Within seconds, two of the nurses were on their heels. Despite the constant protests, Natasha continued to lead Clint down the hall in hopes of finding a doctor to help them out. As they rounded a corner, they came face-to-face with a doctor who looked like he needed something to do. Natasha and Clint stopped dead in their tracks.

"Can I help you?" the doctor asked, almost eagerly.

"Yes, I think my husband has appendicitis and none of the nurses will get us any help," Natasha said.

The doctor looked past Natasha and Clint and stared right at the nurses who had been in pursuit of Natasha and Clint. "We've been paging you guys for the last ten minutes to let you know you can let more patients through."

"W-well, our pagers…you see, the thing is…" the one nurse stuttered and then they both ran off with their tails between their legs.

"Come on, I'll take a look at you, umm…" the doctor trailed off, implying that he didn't know Clint's name.

"Clint. Clint Barton," Clint said wearily. The doctor nodded and then beckoned for Clint and Natasha to follow him. A couple steps down the hall, the doctor grabbed an abandoned wheelchair and offered it to Clint. Clint shook his head no, but Natasha shot him a look and he immediately sat down.

When they reached the end of the hall, the doctor led them into an examination room and told Clint to lie down on the table. Natasha helped him out of the chair and onto the table as the doctor closed the door.

When Clint was situated on the table, Natasha backed away so the doctor could do his job. Every time the doctor put pressure on Clint's stomach and he cried out in pain, Natasha cringed. She didn't like hearing him act like this.

"Well Mr. Barton, you've got quite a wife. She's right. You've got appendicitis," the doctor said once he finished his examination.

"She's too smart for me," Clint said as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Natasha felt a smile twitch at the corners of her lips and she bowed her head so the doctor wouldn't see.

"I'm going to admit you, start you on a drip, and then prep you for surgery. That appendix has to come out," the doctor said, pointing his pen at Clint. The doctor scribbled something on his notepad and then motioned for Clint to get back in the wheelchair so the doctor could take him to a room before his surgery.

* * *

"So, I guess you need to start watching _Grey's Anatomy_ more," Natasha teased as she brushed Clint's hair out of his face. Clint had been out of surgery for about two hours already. His appendix had been close to rupturing by the time they took him into surgery so the doctor wanted to keep him in the hospital for a couple days for observation.

"You've watched a couple episodes, and the most recent one just so happened to be the one where the main character gets appendicitis," Clint scoffed.

"Admit it," Natasha said. "Without me, you probably would've thought it was the stomach flu and it would've taken you a whole day just to consult WebMD."

"Remind me again why I married you?" Clint joked.

"I'm adorable. I take care of you. I'm great in bed. And last, but most importantly, you love me," Natasha said with a sly grin.

"Oh right," Clint said as he grabbed her hand and laced his fingers between hers. It was times like these he was extremely grateful Clint had married Natasha. She could be incredibly stubborn herself when it came to sickness but he had to admit she knew what to do.

Not only that, but he just wanted her by his bedside. No doubt the hospital staff would have kicked her out by now, but because she was direct family, she was allowed to stay. He wasn't quite sure how she had managed to stay with him all that time following the car accident a few years ago but now, there was nothing the hospital staff could do to kick her out.

"I love you, Nat. I'm sorry I scared you," Clint said sleepily.

Natasha rose from her chair and placed a soft kiss on Clint's lips. "You've done far worse to me," she teased when she pulled away from him. "I love you too Clint. Now get some rest, okay?"

Clint nodded as he felt his eyelids droop. He didn't need to worry about her leaving. He knew she'd be there when he woke up.

* * *

**Awww, the tables turned and Natasha had to take care of Clint for once.**

**I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter "Surprise." Are you guys mad at me for going back to school and putting writing on hold? If so, that makes me sad :( haha. Anyways, if there is something you would like me to write about for Clint and Natasha, let me know! Put it in a review or drop it in my inbox. I'll get to it eventually. It's only the beginning of the semester so I'm sure things are going to get intense pretty quickly. Especially since I'm taking a political philosophy class. Philosophy is hard enough as it is, so add politics into the mix and it's bound to get confusing haha.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, please review! No seriously, please review. The fact that I got two reviews for the last chapter actually made me sad haha. Anyways, let me know what you think of Natasha coming to Clint's rescue for his appendicitis.**


	8. One Year

**It's Labor Day Weekend everyone! Know what that means? No school, which also means more time to write. I'm home for the weekend (didn't plan on it, but all my roommates were gone for the weekend too so I figured I should go home haha) so expect at least an update a day, or maybe more, up until Monday. Anyways, this story is for HMG2000, who wanted me to write about Clint singing for an anniversary or birthday. Well, it's Clint and Natasha's one year anniversary of being married so Clint sings her a little song. I hope you like HMG2000, and I hope the rest of you like it too. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song lyrics. They belong to Oasis.**

* * *

Clint and Natasha had been through a lot during their first year of marriage. Not only had they survived another school year, but emotionally, mentally, and physically, it was an exhausting year. Natasha had gotten sick and then Clint got appendicitis. Clint and Natasha had finally met Mr. Osborn, only to find out that he was a horrible person to his son, Harry. Cooking Thanksigiving dinner had been a disaster so they let their parents and grandparents deal with Christmas dinner.

It had been a crazy year, but it was a special year. It was going to be the year that they would remember for the rest of their lives. The first year that they were married. That's why Clint wanted their one year anniversary to be memorable.

"I just don't know what to do," Clint sighed as he walked around the NYU campus with Thor and Steve. Clint and Natasha's one year anniversary was in a couple days and though they still celebrated many other anniversaries in their lives – such as the anniversary of their first kiss and the anniversary of when they officially started dating – their one year anniversary of being married was by far the most important.

"Whatever you do, Natasha's going to love it," Steve said. Clint was glad that Steve and Thor were visiting him for the time being. Clint rarely got to see Steve because of the location of the school Steve attended, and Thor would be leaving in a few weeks to embark on a summer study abroad program in Rome. Despite the three of them all being in completely different cities for college, they were still extremely close and tried to see each other as much as possible.

"Why don't you sing for the missus again?" Thor suggested. Clint chuckled as he recalled the memory of him singing for Natasha on her sixteenth birthday. Following that night, Natasha had been absolutely fascinated over the fact that Clint could sing and forced him to sing songs for her. It had worn off eventually and Clint rarely sung for her now, but maybe it was time he reminded her of how he could so easily make her go weak in the knees.

"Yeah, but the question is, what do I sing for her?" Clint mused. "I can't do 'Fix You' again. It wouldn't make sense."

"Well what about 'Wonderwall?'" Steve asked. "You loved that song when we were kids. You sang it all the time. It drove us nuts!"

"Yes!" Thor agreed. "That describes you and Natasha perfectly!"

"Wonderwall" by Oasis had been one of Clint's favorite songs when he was a kid. As a kid, Clint liked songs just because of the way it sounded. He never knew what the lyrics meant, but now that he's had all of these life experiences, he understood them more than ever. Since meeting Natasha, he found that "Wonderwall" had so much more meaning to him other than being his favorite childhood song.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," Clint said. "But I'm going to need your help again, you guys. Our anniversary is in three days."

"We can pull it off," Steve said with a nod. "We did it before and we can do it again. We didn't have any musical experience the last time, so I think we're a little better off this time around."

Clint chuckled. Steve was right. They'd accomplished this feat before, so there was no doubt that they could do it again.

"Alright," Clint said. "Then let's get to work."

* * *

"Has Clint said anything about what he's doing for your one year anniversary?" Peggy asked as she sipped on her margarita. Natasha, Peggy, and Jane were seated on the small patio in the garden behind the townhouse. The boys were currently taking a stroll throughout the neighborhood while the girls sipped on fancy cocktails in the garden.

"No, not really," Natasha said with a shrug. "Maybe we'll just go out to dinner and watch a movie afterwards."

Jane scoffed. "That's not very romantic."

"Yeah!" Peggy agreed. "It's your one year anniversary! You _cannot_ just go out to dinner and then watch a movie afterwards. There has to be more to it!"

"Well, how the hell do you celebrate one year of marriage?" Natasha mused. She looked over at Peggy and Jane and almost regretted asking that question. Peggy and Jane had always been so supportive of Clint and Natasha's relationship. They reacted like little schoolgirls when Clint did something romantic for Natasha and vice versa.

However, that strange look they had in their eyes right now made Natasha feel extremely uncomfortable. She could only imagine what they were going to suggest for her to do. Both Peggy and Jane were both very "involved" with their significant others. And though Natasha was very "involved" with Clint, she enjoyed the smaller gestures from him such as when he brought home chocolate covered strawberries for her or when he pulled her close to him when they were trying to fall asleep in bed.

"You know what, forget I asked," Natasha said quickly, trying to avoid the awkward conversation that was going to follow.

"Look Natasha," Peggy said, setting down her drink on the table next to her chair. "The two of you are _married_. You will be celebrating your one year anniversary. Do the math."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about Peggy? Sex?"

"I'm just saying. It's what married couples do," Peggy said with a shrug. "Get creative."

Natasha wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I didn't mean like _that_. Seriously, the people that try those awkward sex positions mentioned in _Cosmo_ must be insane," Peggy said with a wave of her hand.

"What Peggy is trying to say is maybe you should invest in some lingerie from Victoria's Secret. Not only will you be treating yourself, but Clint as well," Jane said with a sly smirk.

"Oh, I like the way you think," Peggy said in approval as she smacked Jane's arm.

"You know what, I like that as well," Natasha said with a giggle. "What do you guys say to a trip to Victoria's Secret sometime this week?"

Peggy and Jane nodded in approval as they raised their glasses in a toast. Natasha grabbed her glass as well and brought it up to Peggy's and Jane's. Their glasses clinked together and the girls drank in celebration of their upcoming shopping trip.

* * *

It was around sunset when Clint checked the time on his phone. Natasha had been gone all day with Peggy and Jane on a super secret girls-only shopping trip but she mentioned that she would be home around 8:00. While the girls had been gone, Steve, Thor, and Clint had been practicing "Wonderwall." When Natasha returned home, he would immediately begin the song.

"You guys!" Thor said as he stumbled out of the backdoor of the townhouse that led to the patio. "They're back! I just saw them getting out of the car!"

"Well get your ass down here then!" Clint ordered. Thor bounded down the steps and tripped over the cords as he made his way to the drum set. Clint had dug out the Christmas lights they used for their Christmas tree and strung them throughout the bushes and trees that shaded the patio.

"Clint?" Clint heard Natasha call from within the house.

"Out back!" he shouted back. He could hear her footsteps growing closer as she made her way to the patio. Clint saw the door swing open and Natasha step outside with Peggy and Jane on her heels. Natasha's eyes grew wide as she took in the scene, and Peggy and Jane whistled in approval from behind her.

Immediately, the first few bars of music started to echo throughout the patio. Clint was nervous, but he'd done this for Natasha before. Sure it had been a few years since he sang for her but at least he knew she would like it.

_Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you,_

_By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do._

_I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now._

Natasha felt a smile creep across her face the moment Clint sang the first few lines. It had been a while since he sang for her but she was glad he chose today of all days to sing for her.

_Backbeat the word was on the street that the fire in your heart is out,_

_I'm sure you've heard it all before but you never really had a doubt._

_I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now._

Clint saw the smile spread across her face. His eyes hadn't left hers the moment she walked outside. He didn't want to miss every reaction that flashed across her face.

_And all the roads we have to walk are winding,_

_And all the lights that lead us there are blinding._

_There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don't know how._

_He really should get a recording contract_, Natasha teasingly thought to herself.

_Because maybe,_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

_And after all,_

_You're my wonderwall._

The last word of that line was made Natasha smile like an idiot. She tried to bite her lip from keeping the smile from spreading but she failed miserably.

_Today was gonna be the day but they'll never throw it back to you,_

_By now you should've somehow realized what you're not to do._

_I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now._

Clint could see Natasha trying to hide her smile. She was doing that thing where she bit her lip but it never worked. Instead, it always made her look even more adorable than she already was.

_And all the roads that lead you there were winding,_

_And all the lights that light the way are blinding._

_There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don't know how._

_He really knows how to pick the right songs to sing_, Natasha thought to herself.

_I said maybe,_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

_And after all,_

_You're my wonderwall._

Clint took a deep breath as Thor and Steve played the bridge but his eyes never left Natasha's. A few years ago when he did this for her sixteenth birthday, he was actually afraid to look her in the eyes. He was afraid to see her reaction. He had been nervous she wouldn't like it but now, he knew this was the way into her heart.

_I said maybe,_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

_And after all,_

_You're my wonderwall._

_Said maybe,_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

_You're gonna be the one that saves me._

The music faded out and the group of friends stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Natasha slowly walked down the steps and approached Clint, snaking her arms around her neck. Thor and Steve took it as a sign to join Peggy and Jane so that they could give Clint and Natasha some privacy. They abandoned their instruments and brushed past Clint and Natasha, disappearing in the house with Peggy and Jane.

"It's been a while since I've seen that side of you, Clint Barton," Natasha purred as she placed a soft kiss on Clint's lips.

"I figured you'd like it," Clint said with a chuckle before leaning in and kissing her. He hands reached up to touch the sides of her face and her arms instinctively tightened around him, which made him lean in even closer to her.

"How was your shopping trip?" Clint asked when he pulled away from her. "You didn't charge up the credit card did you?"

Natasha giggled at Clint's lame joke. "No I didn't, but I did put a few things on there. Nothing we can't handle to pay off. But I think once you see what I bought, you won't mind I put it on the card."

"Okay?" he said questioningly.

Natasha fingered the top buttons of her shirt and unbuttoned them slowly. Clint looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching over the wooden fence or that their friends weren't watching from the windows.

"Don't worry, I made sure Peggy and Jane got them out of here," Natasha said as she unbuttoned one more button. Her shirt was halfway undone when she pulled her shirt aside to reveal the bright red lace bra.

Clint's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wow…I mean…t-that's quite…" he stuttered. He'd seen her in less than that but he'd never seen her in anything as fancy as the lingerie she was currently wearing.

"I told you that you wouldn't mind," Natasha purred with a seductive smirk.

"N-no, I definitely don't mind that one bit," he muttered.

"By the way Clint, I'm up here," she said, snapping her fingers. He hadn't even realized he was staring until she'd pointed it out. His head instantly snapped up to look her in the eye.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm just kidding. That's what it's there for," Natasha said.

Clint chuckled and snaked his hands around her waist. "So…our friends aren't here?"

Natasha nodded seductively with a smirk.

"And you bought this really fancy lingerie for me?"

Natasha nodded again.

"Well what do you say we take this up to the bedroom?"

"I guess so," she said. "I mean, if we stay out here, you won't be able to see the whole ensemble." She turned away from him and started to sashay towards the steps.

"You mean there's more?" Clint asked.

Natasha hummed her response as she mounted the steps to go back into the house. Clint was still frozen in his spot as he watched her climb the steps. When he finally snapped out of it, she was at the top of the steps. He quickly shook his head then ran up the steps, taking two at a time. He swept Natasha up in his arms, bridal-style, as she squealed at the sudden action.

Clint placed a soft kiss on her lips before carrying her over the threshold and to their bedroom on the third floor.

* * *

**There you have it! Clint and Natasha have been married for one year and there are many more years to come for them. I hope you liked it HMG2000. By the way, during my last update when I was talking about reviews, I hope it didn't seem like I was whining haha. I just really love reading what you guys have to say about the stories. Sorry if I sounded desperate.**

**A couple things. First, if you would like, check out my profile because I have updated it to list all of my completed, in progress, and upcoming stories. For the upcoming stories and random ideas, let me know which ideas you like the most. Second, if you would like for me to do a one-shot or a prompt for Clint and Natasha for this, put it in a review or inbox me. If you have already let me know what you would like me to write, I will get to it. I promise. Halcyon Burning, yours will be, not the next one, but the one after it. I have an idea for the next chapter that is my own idea that I think you guys are really going to like *insert mischievous smirk here*. But then after the next chapter, yours will be next, Halcyon Burning.**

**Alright, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Clint and Natasha's one year anniversary, Clint singing "Wonderwall" (which, by the way, every time I listen to that song, it gives me major Clintasha feels haha), and Natasha's anniversary "present" for Clint.**


	9. Study Abroad

**What?! Another update?! That's craziness! Like I said, I'm home for the long Labor Day Weekend so I have time to do some writing. You can probably expect two more updates tomorrow if I start one of them now. Anyways, I think you're going to like this chapter. Clint and Natasha go on a two-week study abroad trip for school. Where? You'll see ;). Enjoy!**

* * *

One year into their marriage and Clint and Natasha still didn't go on a honeymoon. Natasha acted like she was perfectly fine with it but Clint knew otherwise. She wanted to go to Paris and he promised her he would take her there. But given the fact that they worked part-time jobs didn't exactly provide them with sufficient enough funds to finance a trip abroad.

However, at the end of the month of June, Clint received an email from one of his European history professors about a chance to study abroad for two weeks at the end of July. It wasn't in Paris, which slightly disappointed Clint, but the destination was to a city in Europe. From what his professor made it out to be, it would be a two week three-credit language course at an institution in the city.

His former professor also made it seem like it was fairly manageable financially. It was only two weeks and three credits, and Clint could even get awarded scholarships to finance his trip completely. If Clint could get the two week trip covered on his part, then they would be able to afford Natasha to go on the trip because there was no way he was going to go without her. They had a good amount of money saved up from their part-time jobs on campus. Since the trip was through the school, it was a better deal than booking a trip themselves.

Clint wasn't sure how to tell Natasha that he wanted to go, and that he, of course, wanted her to go too. It was a study abroad program so they clearly were going to be taking a course while they were there. He just wasn't sure how to tell her that it wasn't Paris. He knew she wanted to go, but he also promised her he would take her. He wanted it to be him that took her to Paris. And he wanted it to be for leisure, not to take a three-credit intensive language class for two weeks.

He grappled with the issue of how to tell her. Does he just drop the bomb on her? Or does he show her the email? Does he tell her while they're making small talk while eating dinner? Or does he just blurt it out while they're in the middle of a make out session before bed?

He decided to tell her one night while she lying in bed, reading a book. She'd been reading a lot before she went to bed at night. Over the Christmas holidays, she'd bought a lot of books at discounted prices. After the Christmas holidays, she didn't have much time to read since classes started back up not much later. Now, with it being summer, she had all the time in the world to read the big stack of books in the corner of their bedroom.

Clint was nervous. He needed to propose this trip to her, but he didn't want to interrupt her while she was reading. What if she was at a good part in the book?

"Okay," she said, slamming the book down on top of the covers. She turned to face Clint with her arms crossed. "What do you need to tell me?"

"What?" Clint asked, dumbfounded.

"You've been awkwardly sitting there for the past 20 minutes. I can tell you're arguing with yourself about something you need to tell me. So what is it?" she said firmly.

"I, umm, well…there's this thing…" Clint trailed off and looked at Natasha. She bobbed her head up and down, as if to tell him to keep going. Clint took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "My European history professor sent me this email about this study abroad program at the end of July. Basically, it's two weeks and three credits. We take a course in the dominant language of the city."

"That sounds cool. So why don't you do it?" she asked.

"Did you really think I would do it without you?" he retorted.

"Well, how much is it? Two weeks and three-credits, that can't be that much," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's about $2,000," Clint said with a sigh. "I can probably finance my whole trip by scholarships because I'm like the top student in the history department. If you went, we'd just have to pay for your trip."

"Well that's no big deal," Natasha said. "We can do $2,000. I still have a lot of money from waitressing at Sweet Creams, and then our combined money from our jobs on campus. And I'm sure my dad or my grandparents could chip in. It's no big deal."

"Really?" he asked.

"Why do you seem so surprised?"

"Well…it's not Paris…" he said hesitantly.

"So? Paris can wait. Wherever this is, I'm assuming we don't know the language yet, right?" she asked and Clint nodded in response. "Yeah, so it's no big deal. The more languages we know, the better. Imagine the possibilities when we graduate college Clint."

Clint chuckled as Natasha climbed into his lap. She reached her hands up to cup his face. "We're going," she stated. "We're not missing an opportunity as great as this."

"So, we're going? Officially, we're going?" he asked.

"Yes Clint," she sighed. "Actually, where exactly are we going? You haven't even told me."

Clint looked into her bright green eyes. She had basically agreed to do this study abroad program even though she didn't know where they were going. That was just typical Natasha. She was so open to doing anything.

"Clint, where are we going?" she asked again, eagerly.

Clint drew in a deep breath.

"Budapest."

* * *

Clint laced his fingers through Natasha's as they walked down a street of the bustling city of Budapest. They passed by cafés and historical landmarks. Many people were carrying shopping bags and were rushing to get to their next destination.

It had only been the second day of their class, and they were both exhausted. Since the class was only two weeks, they were stuck in a classroom from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, speaking Hungarian. After today, Natasha was already better at the language than Clint. She usually grasped onto languages a lot quicker than Clint. But in the end, both of them would end up being just as good at speaking it as the other.

Even though they were tired, there was so much of the city they needed to see. They couldn't see Budapest by sitting in a classroom eight hours a day so they had to resort to walking the streets after class. Last night, they had explored the streets of Budapest until nearly midnight. They'd walked all over the city to random monuments and historical landmarks. They'd visited Buda Castle and Saint Stephen's Basilica. They got coffee in the New York Café from inside the Boscolo Budapest Hotel. By the time, they'd finished, it had gotten so late, but they decided to take the long route back to their living quarters because they'd decided Budapest was just so beautiful when it was lit up at night.

There was still so much to see in Budapest, but Clint and Natasha didn't know where to start. Natasha wanted to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, but Clint had told her he would take her there on the weekend when they didn't have class.

As they strolled down the sidewalk, Natasha stopped dead outside of a café when she caught sight of the desserts in the window. If she didn't come to Budapest to learn the language, she would come to enjoy all of the fabulous desserts. She pulled Clint towards the display and scanned over the various desserts on display. There were cream puffs with chocolate ganache on top, a sheet of cubes of chocolate mousse, and coffee cakes.

"I swear, you eat all of these desserts, but you're still so tiny," Clint mumbled as she continued to stare at all the desserts. Without taking her eyes from the window, she tore her hand from Clint's and punched him in the arm with excellent aim. Clint yelped and rubbed the spot on his arm where Natasha had hit him. She tore her gaze from the window and turned to Clint.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But can we get some desserts?"

Clint chuckled. "Yes Nat. What do you want?"

Natasha turned back to the display case and reached up on her tip toes to look at the rest of the desserts in the display case. "I want…some of those cream puffs and a piece of coffee cake. By the way, I'm not sharing."

Clint chuckled as he grabbed her by the hand and led her into the café. They stood in line for a couple minutes before being called up to the counter. After two days in their Hungarian class, they had already been taught how to order food at a café or restaurant so Clint found this to be the perfect opportunity to practice his Hungarian.

Every so often Clint would make mistakes and the man working at the counter would give him confused or strange looks. Natasha just stood off to the side, watching Clint struggle as he forced the words out. Several times she considered jumping in and helping him, but she realized that he would never learn if she did. Therefore, she just stood off to the side and watched him.

With all awkwardness aside, Clint had managed to successfully place his order. The man behind the counter bagged the treats and rang them up. Clint handed the cash to the man behind the counter and received his change. Grabbing the bag of treats, Clint thanked the man behind the counter with a smile and then grabbed Natasha by the hand.

It wasn't until they were back outside on the sidewalk when Natasha burst out laughing.

"Hey, don't laugh at me. I think I did pretty well," Clint said.

"You did," she said once she composed herself. She wrapped her arms around Clint's torso and she felt his arms snake around her waist, pulling her close. "I'm sorry. The look on that man's face was just priceless when you screwed up. _De még mindig szeretlek_."

"What does that mean?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"_But I still love you_," she purred as she reached up on her tip toes to place a kiss on his lips. His arms tightened around her waist as the kiss deepened. Her hands reached up to just lightly brush her fingers across his jaw line.

"When did you get too smart for me?" he breathed when his lips broke away from hers briefly.

"I've always been too smart for you," Natasha teased.

Clint chuckled lightly, his lips still connected to hers. "What do you say we head back to my room at the university?" It was strange but Clint and Natasha had been assigned to separate dorm rooms while they studied at the university. However, that didn't mean they slept in their respective rooms alone each night. One of them almost always crept down the hall to stay with the other.

"We stayed in your room last night. My room has a better view anyways," Natasha countered.

"You've got a point, but I'm not talking about the view of the city," he said with a smirk.

Natasha giggled before Clint crushed his lips to hers once again. When they pulled away from each other, Clint grabbed her by the hand and led the way back to the university.

* * *

"_Jó reggelt_," Clint said with a smile when he saw Natasha stir from beside him. Today was their last full day in Budapest and unfortunately, they planned on using the whole day to pack up their things. Ever since the night outside of the café, Natasha and Clint had made it a habit to spend their nights in Natasha's room. She was right. It had a better view of the city. Clint was also right when he said it had a better view, but of Natasha. The way the light came into the room in the morning and hit her hair made it look like she was wearing a fiery halo.

Natasha rubbed her eyes and then tilted her head so that she was looking up at Clint. "Look at you speaking Hungarian," she said teasingly with a smile. "_Nagyon büszke vagyok_." She pushed herself up and softly brushed her lips against his.

"It's our last day in Budapest. Is there anything you would like to do?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, not pack," she said. "Can we stay here?"

Clint chuckled. "I don't think so. New York is waiting for us."

Natasha jutted out her lower lip into a pout. "One extra day?"

"We can't afford it," Clint said. "We'll come back one day. I promise."

"You better keep that promise," she said as she pushed the covers off of her. She climbed over Clint to get to the floor and start packing her things. In silence, Clint untangled himself from the covers and joined Natasha on the floor of her room as she packed. He grabbed various shirts and skirts from the floor and handed them to Natasha so she could messily shove them into her suitcase.

Once the floor was fairly clear of Natasha's clothes and items, they did a quick sweep of the room to make sure they didn't miss anything. Just as a precaution, they pulled the bed away from the wall to check behind it. It's a good thing they did because Clint found a pair of his boxers on the floor behind the bed.

"Oh so _that's_ where they disappeared to," he mused as he grabbed them from the floor.

"They didn't _disappear_," she said. "You probably shoved them down there one night in your sex-filled haze."

"You were the one who was wearing them," he said as he twirled them around.

"Exactly. You get a little aggressive when you try to rip my clothes off," she said with a giggle.

"Well, I'm sorry you look incredibly adorable when you wear my clothes."

"You also interrupted my dessert eating that night," Natasha added.

"You need to learn to share," Clint said.

"I share dessert with no one," she shot back.

"Seriously, you act like the food was the best part of this whole trip. Not the sex, not even learning a new language," Clint said with a chuckle.

"I take my desserts very seriously."

"You and I are going to remember Budapest _very_ differently."

* * *

**Ahhh Budapest. I hope you guys liked my little spin on it. It's not much but I still hope you guys liked it. By the way, I don't speak Hungarian so it was all thanks to Google Translate. If anything is wrong grammatically and spelling wise, I'm sorry. I want to learn a lot of languages and Hungarian is one of them. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to learn it at the moment. But I will. Eventually lol. Halcyon Burning, your prompt/one-shot story will be the next chapter.**

**Translations:**

**Jó reggelt - Good morning**

**Nagyon büszke vagyok - I am very proud.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! If you haven't read the previous chapter "One Year" yet, go ahead and read that if you'd like. Let me know what you think of Clint and Natasha's adventures in Budapest.**


	10. Unexpectedly Expected

**Alright, I've got _another_ story here for you guys. This one is for Halcyon Burning. She wanted me to write a story about Natasha's cousin, Yelena Belova, showing up on Clint and Natasha's doorstep. She's in town to attend auditions for the New York City Ballet and she ends up staying with Natasha and Clint. Awkwardness is going to ensue. I hope you like it Halcyon Burning and I think I already have an idea to bring Yelena back later on for another story. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was about two weeks into the new fall semester when Natasha had received an interesting call from her grandmother. She had been in class when her grandmother called so there had been voicemail on her phone for her when she got out of class. According to her grandmother, Natasha's cousin, Yelena, would be in town for the next couple of weeks to audition for a role in the New York City Ballet's production of _Swan Lake_. Apparently Natasha's grandmother wanted Natasha and Clint to come over for dinner at least once during Yelena's stay in the city so they could make her feel welcome.

Natasha hadn't seen Yelena in a couple years. In fact, she hadn't seen Yelena since that Christmas Natasha got a really bad cold and Clint took care of her when she returned home. Natasha really didn't want to go to her grandparents' apartment for dinner, especially if Yelena was going to be there. Of course, Yelena was family but Natasha found her extremely annoying. Yes, it was sweet that Yelena looked up to Natasha and wanted to be just like her, but her behavior seemed slightly obsessive. It drove Natasha nuts.

However, Natasha was actually really happy for her that she had managed to snag an audition for the New York City Ballet. For years, Yelena had been talking about her hopes and dreams of dancing in a major ballet production and now she was getting her chance. Getting a chance to audition was one step closer than she had ever been.

In all honesty though, Natasha avoided her grandparents' calls in the weeks leading up to Yelena's arrival in the city. Sometimes she answered the phone and made it seem like she was really caught up in some schoolwork or was about to walk into the admissions office for work. She wanted to avoid the topic of having dinner with Yelena as much as possible.

Clint had become to grow suspicious of Natasha's behavior every time her phone rang. A couple times he noticed she only ignored calls when it was her grandparents calling.

"Are you going to answer that?" Clint would ask.

"Nope," Natasha would respond as she silenced the ringer on her phone.

Natasha thought she was in the clear. She had completely avoided agreeing to have dinner with Yelena. The day of the dinner, she had told her grandparents that she and Clint both had papers to write so there was no possibility of them making it to dinner. Natasha's grandparents believed her and Natasha decided to add that she would try her best to see Yelena when she had the chance.

Natasha actually felt guilty. Yelena was family and she was blowing her off. But Yelena would understand. Yelena knew Natasha was very dedicated to her schoolwork just like Natasha knew Yelena was very dedicated to ballet.

However, Clint never knew about Yelena being in the city. Clint had never met Yelena before but Natasha had talked about her when they had been planning the wedding. They'd sent invitations for her and her family, but they had been in Russia at the time so they didn't attend. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Yelena showed up on Clint and Natasha's doorstep one day.

Clint had gotten home after his classes were done for the day and he'd decided to take a nap on the couch. The moment he stepped in the house, he dropped his backpack on the floor by the door and made a bee-line for the couch. He hadn't even dozed off when the doorbell rang.

Lifting his head in a daze, Clint rolled off of the couch and headed for the door. He wasn't quite sure who to expect when he opened the door. They hadn't ordered any textbooks from Amazon – at least, none that Clint knew of – so it probably wasn't UPS or FedEx. Natasha wasn't supposed to be home for another hour unless her class got cancelled. Even then she wouldn't ring the doorbell. If she forgot her keys, she would've called Clint instead of ringing the doorbell.

Clint yanked the door open and saw a tiny, blonde girl smiling back at him. Clint stared at her blankly as he took in her features. She looked almost exactly like Natasha. That is, if Natasha had blonde hair. Clint was about to open his mouth to say something when the girl piped up.

"Hi! You must be Clint! I'm Yelena," she said, extending her hand out for Clint to shake it. Clint stared at her hand for a couple seconds before grabbing it for a handshake. She shook his hand vigorously before letting go and adjusting her bag on her shoulder. That's when Clint noticed the suitcase situated next to Yelena on the porch. Clint arched his eyebrow at the item and Yelena traveled Clint's line of sight to the suitcase.

"Oh, right. Nana and Pop Pop sent me down here. They said you and Natasha wouldn't mind if I stayed with you while I went to my auditions. Plus, you and Natasha were too busy with your papers last night to come to dinner so they said it would be a good chance for us to catch up," Yelena said all in one breath.

"Uh huh," Clint mumbled with a nod. He stepped aside and let Yelena into the house. She grabbed her suitcase and rolled it over the threshold while Clint watched her with a confused expression on his face.

Clint shut the front door and immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Natasha. He watched Yelena make herself at home while he stood in the foyer, waiting for Natasha to pick up the phone. There was no guarantee she would answer; she was probably still in class. If she didn't answer, he would leave a message. Until Natasha got home, he had no idea what to do with Yelena.

Luckily, Natasha did answer. "Clint, I'm going to be a little late. I have to swing by one of my professor's office to talk to him about this one exam question I got wrong."

"Okay…umm, but we kind of have a problem," Clint said hesitantly.

"Why? What's wrong?" she said frantically.

"Your cousin's here," he mumbled into the phone, just audible and coherent enough for her to understand.

"Yelena's there?" she asked.

"Yeah with a big ass suitcase. She said your grandparents sent her."

Natasha was silent on the other end. The only sounds Clint heard were the beeping of car horns and cars rushing by. "I'll be home soon," she said suddenly and then hung up the phone.

* * *

"What the hell is she doing here?" Natasha hissed. When she arrived home, she immediately pulled Clint out back, blatantly ignoring Yelena.

"She said your grandparents sent her. She said something about not going to dinner last night and they figured staying with us would be a good way to catch up," Clint explained.

"Fuck. I knew this would come back and bite me in the ass," Natasha growled.

"What would?"

Natasha drew in a deep breath then let it out. "My grandparents invited us over for dinner with Yelena. I made up an excuse about us having to do papers because I _did not_ want to have dinner with Yelena. Now I guess this has come back to bite me in the ass."

"Well what do we do now? We can't just kick her to the curb," Clint said.

"But I don't want her here either!" Natasha hissed angrily. "I don't know what to do."

Natasha and Clint stood on the back porch in silence as they tried to figure out what to do with Yelena. They had more than enough room to accommodate her. The problem was Natasha didn't want to accommodate her. And Clint knew that too. Clint had heard all of the stories about Yelena following Natasha around like a little puppy dog, and the last thing Clint wanted was for her to be invading their privacy as a married couple.

"We can't just kick her out," Clint said finally. "Maybe we just let her stay for a couple days, and then send her back up to your grandparents'."

Natasha contemplated Clint's plan. A couple days weren't a big deal. Besides, Natasha hoped Yelena had done some growing up since she last saw her. If Yelena followed her around, Yelena would be in the next taxi bound for the Upper East Side.

* * *

The first night Yelena stayed with them was not a peaceful one. While they ate dinner, Yelena constantly talked about her upcoming audition for _Swan Lake_ and pried into Natasha and Clint's personal life. By the end of dinner, Clint shot Natasha a look that said "I'm ready for her to get the fuck out of here already."

When dinner was cleaned up and the dishes were put away, Clint and Natasha retired to their bedroom to work on their schoolwork.

"Aw, you guys don't want to hang out? Come on Natasha, we have _so_ much catching up to do!" Yelena squealed.

"I'm sorry Yelena. Clint and I have schoolwork to do. Maybe tomorrow okay?" Natasha suggested. Yelena nodded her head and then followed Clint and Natasha upstairs so they could retire to their respective bedrooms. When Yelena was in her room and the door was shut, Natasha quietly closed their bedroom door and flopped down on the bed next to Clint.

"Why did we agree to this?" Natasha whined. Clint chuckled as he rolled over and pushed himself up, only to brace his arms on both sides of Natasha and lean over her.

"We can do this Nat," Clint whispered against her lips. "It's just a couple days. We'll be in class and she'll be practicing for her audition. She'll be gone before we know it."

"You better be right about that," she muttered. Clint smirked as he lowered himself down to let his lips connect to Natasha's. Natasha felt Clint's hands snake up her shirt and she didn't stop him. Sure, they had homework to do, but it was the beginning of the semester. They deserved a little bit of relaxation before the work really piled on.

Clint had lifted Natasha's shirt over her head when they heard the creak of their bedroom door.

"Hey, you guys, I was wondering – oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

Natasha squealed and accidentally shoved Clint off of her, sending him crashing to the floor and landing with a _thud_ on his back. Natasha frantically grabbed her shirt and tried to hastily pull it back on. She had a bra on – which she was suddenly thankful she and Clint didn't go any further – but she was still embarrassed to be half dressed in front of her cousin.

"Yelena, have you ever heard of _knocking_?" Natasha spat.

"Sorry," Yelena said, blushing a deep shade of red. She stood there awkwardly in the doorway with her hand still resting on the doorknob. Clint was still on the floor, rubbing the spot on his back that had received the worst of the impact. Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, glaring at Yelena.

"Is there something you wanted?" Natasha asked angrily.

"Umm, never mind. You guys looked busy. I'll just go." Yelena slowly backed out of the doorway, dragging the door with her and closing it with a _snick_.

Clint and Natasha stared at the door for a couple minutes in silence. Natasha hung her head with a sigh and Clint groaned at the pain in his lower back from hitting the floor.

"She has got to go," Clint said. Natasha giggled as she offered a hand to Clint to pull him up off of the floor and onto the bed. Clint leaned over to kiss Natasha but she pushed him away as she walked over to the door to lock it. Then, she padded back over to the bed and climbed into Clint's lap to finish what they started.

* * *

During the week when Natasha had class, Yelena insisted on inviting herself to tag along with Natasha when she walked to class. Clint was usually gone by the time Natasha got up for her classes so she usually walked alone. Now that Yelena was here, she wanted to follow Natasha around like a little puppy dog. Like she used to.

On their way to campus, Yelena would always marvel over how fantastic New York City is. No matter how many times she visited the city to see their grandparents, she could never get over how amazing New York City was.

"Oh my God, Washington Square Park!" Yelena squealed when they passed by the infamous Arc de Triomphe replica. "It is so much different and lovelier in person."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Natasha mumbled as she dragged her feet towards the arts and science building for her class. Since Yelena couldn't get in to the building without a valid student ID, she was going to have to break away from Yelena at some point.

"Oh, can I just stay here? I have a studio reserved for practice at noon in SoHo so I can just take a taxi there. Then I can go back to the townhouse okay?" Yelena said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah, that's cool with me," Natasha said a little more excitedly than necessary.

Natasha bid her goodbye and rushed off to her class. Sitting in the classroom, Natasha felt more relaxed than she did in days. Having Yelena in the house actually put her on edge. Ever since that night when Yelena walked in on her and Clint in an uncompromising position, Natasha hadn't been able to focus on anything. She'd been having trouble focusing on her homework and every time Clint touched her- even if it was the simplest touch – she looked around in nervousness to make sure Yelena wasn't there.

Walking to campus with her didn't help either. If Natasha wasn't walking to campus with Clint, she usually used her alone time to review stuff for her classes in her head. She would go over vocabulary for her Italian class or summarize the reading for her international politics class. With Yelena walking with her, she couldn't even think straight when it came to whether she turned left or right at the corner of 8th and University Place.

Yelena had only been staying with them for two days and it was driving Natasha nuts. Yelena's audition was in three days so Natasha hoped she would be out of the house soon. There was only so much more she could handle.

* * *

It was the eve of Yelena's audition for _Swan Lake_ and Natasha could tell she was nervous. However, that didn't keep her from being her obnoxious self. Yelena constantly badgered Natasha with personal questions about her life with Clint and how college was. Yelena was 18 years old but she was putting college on hold to put ballet first.

"I mean, how do you do it? This is NYU. It must be super hard. It's close to Ivy League! Are the classes hard? Are some of your professors nice?" Yelena rambled, ignoring the food on her plate while Natasha and Clint partially tuned her out.

"Yelena, you've already asked us these questions," Natasha said wearily.

"Have I? Oh well, can never be too sure," Yelena mused and then launched into another set of questions. Natasha groaned as she dropped her fork onto her plate and rested her elbows on the table with her head in her hands.

"Are you okay, Natasha?" Yelena asked. Natasha didn't turn to face Yelena. She was contemplating saying something to her. She knew that the moment she opened her mouth, she wouldn't be able to stop. Everything, all of her thoughts and feelings about Yelena from the past couple of days, would flow out of her like word vomit.

_To hell with it_, Natasha thought and then dropped her arms onto the table and turned to face Yelena.

"No, I'm not okay Yelena," Natasha said icily. "You have been doing nothing but asking Clint and I the same questions over and over again. You showed up on our doorstep out of the blue. You've been invading our privacy. And you've been following me around like a little puppy dog. But I guess I should've expected that since you've always done it."

"Nat - ," Clint started but Natasha cut him off.

"You're family, Yelena, but you drive me bat shit crazy. Why do you need to know every aspect of my life? Why do you need to know every aspect of Clint's life? Why do you need to drive me completely fucking insane every time I fucking see you?"

Natasha let out a breath. It felt good to finally say _something_ to Yelena. After all of these years, she'd wanted to let her know how she felt about her incessant questionnaires. She'd finally let it all out. It felt good.

However, Yelena didn't look like she was taking the truth well enough. Natasha saw that she was biting the inside of her cheek. Natasha knew what that meant. It was something Yelena did when she was little when she was about to cry, and it looked like it was a habit that she still did.

"Yelena - ," Natasha said but Yelena slammed her fork down on the table and angrily pushed away from the table. She stomped out of kitchen, her footsteps echoing as she bounded down the stairs. A couple seconds later, there was the muffled slamming of the French doors that led to the patio out back.

"Fuck," Natasha groaned as she pushed her plate out of the way and rested her forehead on the tabletop. "Fuck my fucking life."

Natasha felt Clint start to rub her back soothingly, but nothing could make her feel better about what she just said to Yelena. Yelena was annoying, but she was family. Yelena needed to know how Natasha felt about her constant badgering, but Natasha's execution probably wasn't very well thought out.

"Even I thought that was a little harsh, Tasha," Clint said with a chuckle.

"You're not helping, Clint," Natasha snapped.

"You need to go talk to her. Once you've calmed down of course," Clint said.

Natasha lifted her head from the table and glared at Clint. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"She's family. You'll be forgiven," Clint said as he got up and placed a quick kiss on Natasha's forehead. He grabbed the dishes and silverware from the table and headed to the sink to clean up.

Natasha sat at the kitchen table for a couple more minutes, contemplating how she was going to apologize to Yelena. She meant what she said, albeit she didn't mean for it to come across as harsh as it did. After a couple more minutes of deliberating, she rose from her chair and left the kitchen without a word to Clint.

* * *

Natasha spotted Yelena sitting in a chair on the patio the moment she stepped outside. The temperature had dropped and it was now in the low 50's. Natasha pulled her sweater closer to her in hopes it would keep her warm and bounded down the steps to join Yelena.

Natasha didn't say anything when she sat down in the patio chair next to Yelena. Natasha just hung her head and stared at her hands in her lap. In the dead silence, Yelena sniffled. She had no doubt been crying once she reached the patio but now, it was probably all out of her system.

"Yelena, I'm sorry," Natasha said, not taking her eyes off of her lap.

"Don't be sorry. We know that what you said about me was the cold, hard truth," Yelena spat.

"I just…I didn't mean for it to come out like that," Natasha whispered. Natasha lifted her head to see Yelena shaking her head.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing Natasha this and Natasha that from my parents," Yelena whined. "They speak so highly of you. You held your own when your parents fought. You were crowned Homecoming Queen your senior year of high school. You led your class to two victories in Powderpuff football. You got accepted to all of the colleges you applied to and you go to NYU.

"And you're married to the kindest, sweetest, and most loving boy on the face of the planet. My parents talk about you like you're God. When they heard you were getting married, they were so thrilled for you. But if that were me, I would've gotten disowned. They would've never talked to me ever again. It's like no matter what I do, nothing is ever good enough for them.

"So I'm sorry if I ask you so many questions because I'm just trying to understand what I'm doing wrong and what you're doing right. What are you doing that makes my parents like you better than me?"

"Don't think like that Yelena. You have an audition for the New York City Ballet tomorrow. That's a big deal. Not many people can say that they've landed an audition," Natasha said sentimentally.

Yelena shrugged. "But if I don't get a part, I'll go home and get laughed at. Even if I get a minor part or I'm like an understudy, I'll get laughed at. I can't win when it comes to them."

Natasha shook her head. "So then why do you care what they think?"

Yelena stared at Natasha blankly. Natasha could understand where Yelena was coming from, except Natasha's parents were never around or didn't pay attention to her. Natasha knew what it was like to be unaccepted. However, Yelena was 18 years old. She was an adult who could make her own decisions. If she screwed up, it was her own problem, not her parents' problem.

"Here's the deal," Natasha said. "You're going to go to the audition tomorrow and you're going to give it your all. You're going to walk out of there with a sense of accomplishment. You're going to wait for the call backs or the cast list or whatever, and if you make it, you make it. If you don't, you don't. You go back to the drawing board, and you stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself. Got it?"

Yelena nodded her head vigorously. "Got it."

"Alright," Natasha said as she rose from the patio chair. "If you don't mind, I have homework to do."

"Do you really have homework to do or do you have 'homework' to do?" Yelena asked.

Natasha giggled at Yelena's comment. "I actually do have homework to do, but it's not my fault Clint distracts me."

"I'll be gone tomorrow after the auditions. Or before them, I guess," Yelena said with a shrug. "I've been in the way."

"Don't worry about it Yelena. You're always welcome here, as long as you tone down the questions and give us a heads up if you're coming."

"Thanks Natasha," Yelena said with a hint of a smile. Natasha smiled back at her and headed towards the steps to go back into the house; Yelena was a couple steps behind her. They reentered the house and headed up the stairs to join Clint in the kitchen. Yelena sat back down at her place at the table to finish her dinner while Natasha joined Clint to help with the clean up.

"I see you fixed things," he stated.

"I sure hope so," Natasha said.

"I knew I married you for a reason," Clint said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He swept her hair away from her neck and placed a kiss on the curve where her neck met her shoulder. He trailed kisses up and down her neck which made Natasha giggle with delight.

"I'm just going to finish my dinner in another room." With Clint's arms still locked around her waist, Natasha turned around to see Yelena picking up her plate and heading out of the kitchen. When Yelena disappeared, Natasha faced forward and giggled.

"She'll be gone tomorrow," Natasha muttered as Clint continued to nuzzle Natasha's neck. "Do you think you can control yourself until then?"

"Not a chance. I'm already turned on," Clint muttered in Natasha's ear.

Natasha sighed. "I swear, 21 years old and you still have the sex drive of a 16 year old."

"It's a gift."

"It's annoying."

"You like it."

"Just a bit."

"Want to take this upstairs?"

"You know me far too well."

* * *

**Sorry for the major Clintasha fluff/sex haha. I just think I make them too cute sometimes. Anyways, I hope you liked it Halcyon Burning. You always harp on me for characters not being canon so I hope it lived up to your expectations. Also, I don't think this is the last time we'll see Yelena. Yelena and Natasha's relationship seems a little better now that the air has cleared so expect to see Yelena again in the future. If you have a one-shot prompt you would like me to write, leave it in a review or inbox it to me. If you have already given me one, give me some time. I have plans as to when in Clint and Natasha's lives I want the certain events you gave me to happen so just be patient. I will get to them though, I promise.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Natasha's cousin, Yelena, and her weird obsessive antics, Natasha letting out how she really feels about Yelena, and Yelena revealing that her parents favor Natasha.**


	11. What to Expect

**PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THIS CHAPTER!**

**Okay, now that I've got your attention, I originally planned to do these one-shots in the order of how they happened in Clint and Natasha's life. But given recent circumstances and inspiration, I've decided to scrap that and just jump around with moments in Clint and Natasha's lives. So, before every chapter, I'm going to have a run down (like the one below) of who, what, when, where, etc. Since it's going to jump around, I want to make sure you guys know when the update is happening in Clint and Natasha's live. One moment they could still be in college, the next they could be in their 30's. And this way is better because if you submit a topic, I can get to it quicker. Alright, so here's the breakdown for this update.**

**Summary/Setting: 2 years after Natasha graduates college, 3 years after Clint graduates college. Clint is roughly 25 years old while Natasha is roughly 24. They work at the United Nations as translators/interpreters. (Note: In the real world, you need a Master's degree to work at the UN but for the sake of this story, Clint and Natasha can work there with Bachelor's degrees.) Natasha has been working at the UN for 2 years; Clint has been working there for 3 years. This is also going to be a two-shot, so this is part one of two.**

**Alright, so without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Natasha had been working at the United Nations for two years when one morning, she got sick. For the past two years, not once had she gotten sick. Not even so much as a sneeze or a sniffle. But on this particular day, she got incredibly and violently sick. It was strange because one second she was absolutely fine as she was translating a document from Arabic to English. The next she was upchucking in the trash can underneath her desk.

When she had finished throwing up the contents of her stomach, she grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth, swashed some water around in her mouth, and then continued her work. She felt fine. It was something that came and went for the moment. But it came back again when she was in the cafeteria grabbing an apple for a snack. In mid-bite as she was walking back to the linguistics department, she felt her stomach do a somersault and it sent her streaking for the nearest bathroom. She ducked into the first stall and released the bile that had risen in her throat.

When she had finished throwing up for a second time, she figured something was definitely wrong with her. As she rinsed her mouth out again, she started thinking of all the food she had eaten in the past 24 hours. Clint hadn't been home for a week since he was in Istanbul translating some ancient documents that couldn't be taken outside of the country so she had been cooking for herself. She wasn't the best cook so she figured she didn't cook something correctly.

She headed back to the linguistics department and reported to her supervisor that something was definitely wrong and she needed to go home. Her supervisor nodded and wished that Natasha get well soon. Gathering up the documents from her desk to work on at home, Natasha shoved them into her tote and headed out of the building to hail a cab.

The cab was a block away from the townhouse in the Village when Natasha felt the need to throw up again. She continued to swallow the bile that kept rising in her throat so she didn't throw up in the cab. She knew she could make it if she kept swallowing.

Thankfully, she did. When the cab reached the townhouse, she chucked the bills over the seat and quickly told the driver to keep the change as she stumbled out of the back seat. She ran up the steps and fumbled to slide the key into the lock. When it finally went in, she wrenched open the door and ran to the bathroom.

She made it just in time as she threw up again and groaned unpleasantly. She was definitely sick. She had to figure out what she had cooked for herself in the past day that was making her sick, but before she could figure it out, she desperately needed to brush her teeth.

She trudged up the stairs to the third floor where hers and Clint's bedroom and bathroom was located. As she climbed the stairs, she started going over all the food she had eaten in the past 24 hours. She had cooked herself chicken last night with a side of rice, but she was pretty sure she had cooked it all the way. She did have a grapefruit for a snack before she went to bed so that could possibly be making her sick.

When she reached the bathroom, she snatched her toothbrush from the cup on the counter and then looked around for the tube of toothpaste. She had forgotten that she had used up the last bit of toothpaste this morning, but she remembered that there was a full tube underneath the sink that had yet to be opened. Setting her toothbrush on the counter, she crouched down and opened up the cabinet door. She hesitated to grab the toothpaste because of what was practically right in front of her.

Situated in the center on the cabinet was an unopened box of tampons. She stared at the box for a couple more seconds before grabbing it to stare at it some more. She had bought this box almost two weeks ago. As she thought it over in her head, she realized she was due. But she was due _two weeks ago_.

"Shit, I'm late," she hissed. She threw the box of tampons back into the cabinet and without hesitation, sprinted back into the bedroom to grab her purse and keys. Making sure she had some cash on her, she rushed down the stairs and out the front door to the nearest drug store, which was three blocks from the townhouse.

When she reached the drug store, she made a bee-line for the aisle with the pregnancy tests. She had been in this same situation almost six years ago, except this time she was almost sure the test would come out positive even before she took it. Just to be sure, she grabbed three tests and then headed to the register. Without making eye contact with the man at the register, she thrust the bills at him and then immediately took off once she was handed the plastic bag.

Within minutes she had returned to the townhouse. The moment she reached the bathroom, she angrily tore open the first box and took the test. Setting the test on the counter to wait for the result, she went down to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of juice. If that test came out positive, she was going to take the two other tests to make sure the first test was right. To do that, she was going to need to drink a lot.

When she returned to the bathroom, the test had the result. Lo and behold, it was positive. Natasha chugged the contents of her bottle of juice and jumped up and down in hopes that would make her have to pee quicker. As she waited, she tore open the second pregnancy test box and when she was ready, she took the test.

She opened a second bottle of juice as she waited for the results of the second test and chugged the contents. By the time the bottle was empty, the second pregnancy test had the result. Pregnant. Tearing open the third and final pregnancy test box, Natasha took the test as soon as she had to pee and then waited impatiently for the result. Finally, it said pregnant.

Natasha stared at the three tests on the bathroom counter. Pregnant, she was pregnant. She and Clint were pregnant.

_Oh God, Clint_, she thought when he crossed her mind. Clint wouldn't be back from Istanbul for another week. The time difference and the fact that they both had work made it difficult for them to get in contact with one another. There was almost always a five minute phone call at some point during the day but it was always the usual conversation about how their day was and that they loved each other.

Of course she was going to tell him. She had to tell him. They were married for practically five years now. But telling him over the phone is not how she wanted to inform him. Unfortunately, that was quite possibly her only option at the moment.

She checked the clock and did the math to figure out what time it was in Istanbul. It was currently five o'clock where Clint was so as she pressed the corresponding number for him on her speed dial, she hoped he wasn't busy.

She waited nervously as the phone rang. She now realized how suspicious it might seem for Natasha to be calling him when she should be at work. That alone would most likely make him pick up the phone.

"Hey Nat. Everything okay? Shouldn't you be at work?" Clint asked when he answered the phone.

Natasha felt slightly relieved when she heard his voice. Ever since she started throwing up that morning, all she wanted was Clint. He always made her feel better no matter what. Since he couldn't physically be with her, his voice sufficed.

"Nat, are you there?"

Natasha shook her head to pull her out of her thoughts and bring herself back into the conversation with Clint. "Oh yeah, I'm here," she said. At that moment, she hadn't even realized how much her voice gave herself away. It was shaking and it cracked slightly at the end of her sentence.

"What's going on?" Clint asked. The concern in his voice was undeniable.

"Umm…" she trailed off. "I…I just…"

"Tasha, come on. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me. I already know something is wrong so you might as well just spit it out," Clint said.

"I…" she trailed off. She was hesitating to tell him. Would he be happy? Sad? Angry? Clint was the kindest, most loving and caring person she had ever known, but she wasn't sure how he would react to something as big as this. "I…I think…I'm pregnant."

She didn't think. She knew, but she didn't want to admit it was true until Clint was home with her and they could go to the doctor together. The three tests didn't mean anything to her unless Clint was there to share it with her.

"Y-you think?" Clint asked nervously.

"I took three tests but…but it's not official until I go to the doctor's, you know?" she said quickly.

"You're pregnant," Clint stated.

"Unofficially," Natasha said. "It's totally not official until I get it confirmed by a doctor."

"Tasha," Clint said, getting her attention. "You're pregnant." It felt all the more real when it was coming out of Clint's mouth. "Tasha…w-we're pregnant. We're going to have a baby!"

She could almost hear him smiling and Natasha smiled at the thought of Clint smiling. She wanted him home. One week was going to be absolutely brutal and there was no chance of her going to the doctor's without Clint. They were in this together and she wasn't going to do anything without him.

"I'm coming home, Nat. I'm going to be on the first flight back to New York," Clint said excitedly. She heard the sound of a zipper in the background as Clint most likely started to pack his suitcase.

"What? No, Clint. You have a job to do," Natasha said. She wanted him home with her, but she didn't want to be selfish. She had been selfish enough in high school when they were dealing with the long distance relationship. Plus, when they were away on business, they were always busy. It made time fly by so it made the absence a little easier.

"There are six other guys here working on those documents. I'm pretty sure they can do the job without me," Clint explained.

"It won't get finished as quick though," Natasha teased.

Natasha heard Clint chuckle and the sound made her smile. "I think given the circumstances, I'll be excused."

Natasha sighed. She wasn't going to win this argument. When Clint was determined, there was no way to tell him no. "Fine," she said. "Do you want me to send you a car?"

"That would…be…great," Clint said hesitantly as he was most likely focusing on packing up his suitcase. "I'll email you the flight details once I get to the airport."

Natasha muttered a measly "okay" as she listened to Clint finish pack up his suitcase and gather his belongings. "Okay, I've got to call my supervisor to let him know I'm leaving," Clint said. "Then I'm going to check out of the hotel and I'll head to the airport."

"Okay, got it," Natasha replied.

"And Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I can't wait to see you."

Natasha let out a nervous laugh. "I can't wait to see you either. I love you too Clint."

With that, they bid each other goodbye so Clint could arrange to get home. When Natasha hung up the phone, she instinctively ran a hand over her currently flat stomach. That's when she realized that she couldn't wait for Clint to get home.

* * *

A few days later, Clint and Natasha sat in the bright white room of a doctor's office as they waited for the doctor to join them. Natasha had been asked to change into a hospital gown so they could do a vaginal ultrasound. Nervously, Natasha swung her legs back and forth as she sat on the edge of the examination table, waiting for the doctor to join them.

"You look like you're six-years-old again doing that," Clint said, nodding towards her legs as they swung back and forth.

Once he pointed it out, Natasha immediately stopped swinging her legs. "Sorry, I'm nervous."

Clint stood up from the chair he was sitting in next to the examination table and stood by Natasha's side. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek before she turned her head to face him. "What do you have to be nervous about?" he whispered.

Natasha shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she said quietly.

At that moment, the doctor walked into the room and introduced herself as Dr. Page. Natasha didn't know the first thing about the first prenatal appointment so she was overwhelmed with the amount of questions Dr. Page asked. There were questions about her diet and her sleeping habits. There were questions about her current emotional and physical state. Even though they were simple questions, she felt woefully unprepared.

When Dr. Page had finished asking questions, she asked Natasha to lie back on the examination table and place her feet in the stirrups. Natasha got nervous when she saw the wand that would be used for the ultrasound and she instinctively reached out for Clint's hand. She turned to face Clint for reassurance. He nodded his head and then grabbed her hand.

"Now, this is going to feel a little strange but just remember to relax and breathe normally, okay?" Dr. Page said. Natasha nodded in response and stared at the ceiling anxiously. She gasped when she felt the device get inserted and her grip tightened on Clint's hand. It didn't hurt and it wasn't supposed to, but Natasha – like most things about the first prenatal check-up – didn't know what to expect.

"Okay, you see that circle right there?" Dr. Page asked. Natasha focused her attention on the screen and saw Dr. Page to a white splotch. "That's your baby."

Natasha smiled as she looked at the small splotch on the screen. She felt Clint lift her hand and kiss her fingers.

"You're about five weeks along and everything looks good," Dr. Page said as she removed the device from Natasha's body and turned off the machine. "I'm going to leave your paperwork with the front desk and you'll make an appointment to come back at the eight week mark in your pregnancy."

Dr. Page flashed Clint and Natasha a polite smile as she finished filling out the paperwork. She closed Natasha's medical file and stood up. "Okay, you can get dressed Natasha and head out to the front desk," Dr. Page said as she opened the door. She lingered in the doorway with her hand on the doorknob before turning back towards Clint and Natasha. "Oh, and congratulations you two." With that, she turned to leave the room, leaving Clint and Natasha by themselves.

Before Natasha could even push herself up into a sitting position, Clint's lips had pressed against hers. Clint was practically radiating excitement and she smiled against the kiss. She and Clint hadn't talked about having children. At least, not yet so clearly this baby was an accident, but a happy accident nonetheless. Either way, this baby would be loved unconditionally.

* * *

_Second Trimester, 17 weeks_

"I really wish you wouldn't wear six inch stilettos while you're pregnant," Clint griped as Natasha walked into their bedroom after a long day at work.

"First off, cut that in half, love. They're three inches. Second, I'm four months pregnant, not eight Clint," Natasha countered. She tossed her purse onto the bed next to where Clint laid and then disappeared into the walk-in closet to shed her work clothes and change into something more comfortable.

"Either way, they have to be super uncomfortable," Clint said.

Natasha reappeared in the bedroom moments later in a pair of yoga pants and a loose t-shirt. She had pulled her hair out of its bun and it hung loosely, the curls just barely brushing her shoulders. "They're not so bad," she said with a shrug of her shoulders as she tossed her works clothes in the hamper then crossed the room to join Clint on the bed. She rolled onto her side and curled up next to Clint as close as she possibly could.

Clint's arm wrapped around her back and placed a kiss on top of her head. "How was work? Any diplomats give you trouble?" he asked.

Natasha giggled as she rested a hand on Clint's chest and breathed out a sigh. "It was fine. No trouble from any diplomats though I'm starting to get a lot of people asking me questions about my pregnancy. You know, like when I'm due, if I know the sex, and all that sort of stuff," she said with a yawn.

Clint glanced down at his wife and noticed her eyelids slightly drooping. "They shouldn't make you work such long days."

"I can handle it," Natasha said as she tried to stifle another yawn.

Clint chuckled as he tangled his fingers into her hair. "Tasha, please don't overdo it. If you keep coming home tired from a day of work that you would usually be able to handle when you weren't pregnant, maybe you should talk to our supervisor about restricting your work to just the office."

"No," she whined weakly.

"Yes," Clint retorted. "If you don't say anything, you know I will."

Natasha groaned. "Fine, I'll talk to them about restricting my work to the office. But I'm also going to ask that they don't send you anywhere outside of the tri-state area. If something happens, I don't want you halfway across the world chit-chatting with Arabian diplomats."

Clint chuckled. "Touché," he said. They lied in bed, pressed against each other, for quite some time. Natasha fought hard to keep her eyelids open while Clint soothingly ran his hand up and down her back. It wasn't much later when Natasha sat up with a gasp and her hands resting on her stomach.

"Tasha, what's wrong?" Clint asked, panicked, as he sat up too and rested his hand on her lower back.

"I felt it move," she said with a smile. "It's kicking."

"Y-you…i-it…" Clint stammered.

"Give me your hand," Natasha said, reaching out for Clint's hand. He removed it from her lower back and offered it up to her. She grabbed his hand and immediately placed it on top of her burgeoning stomach. It took a couple seconds but Clint eventually felt the thump against the palm of his hand. Clint's eyes immediately flitted to Natasha's and a grin broke out across his face.

"That's our baby," Clint said excitedly.

"Mhmmm," Natasha hummed as she nodded her head, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

Clint's grin grew wider before he attacked Natasha's lips with his. This was only the beginning of the many memories they were going to make together as a family.

* * *

**Alright, I hope you guys are okay with the new set-up. Usually I post updates between Thursday and Sunday (weekends) but I have a paper due Monday so everything might get pushed back or not done at all. We'll see. If you want to give me a topic for Clint and Natasha, leave it in a review or drop it in my inbox.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave a review to let me know what you think! And remember, this is a two-shot, so you'll find out about the rest of Natasha's pregnancy in the next update (whenever that may be).**


	12. When You're Expecting

__**Alright, here is part 2! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Second Trimester, 19 weeks_

Natasha never got around to talking to her supervisor about restricting her work to the office because she was assigned to work with the ambassador from Russia. Natasha knew it would be long and grueling hours – and she would no doubt be beyond exhausted by the end of the day – but working with the ambassador from Russia was an opportunity she felt she couldn't pass up.

Every day she would come home to Clint as he griped and groaned over the fact that she didn't say anything. Every single time she would shoot back that she didn't quite understand why _he_ hadn't said anything yet. Normally that would shut him up but moments later he would be welcoming her to curl up next to him in bed.

However, during a particularly long day at work, Natasha could slowly but surely feel herself becoming lightheaded. Lunch had been pushed back by an hour so she just chalked it up to hunger. Every so often she felt the baby kick rather forcefully and it took every ounce of energy she had to not whimper or moan out of discomfort.

It wasn't until they were halfway through the meeting when Natasha had to take a deep breath and steady herself by grabbing the back of the chair. She bent over and rubbed a hand over her stomach. Whatever Clint's kid was doing – and at that moment, she made sure to call it Clint's kid and not their kid – he or she was really kicking Natasha's ass.

"Mrs. Barton, are you alright?" Natasha heard one of her coworkers ask her.

Natasha took a deep breath and tried to straighten herself up. When she felt excruciating pain, she moaned and bent forward, grabbing the back of the chair to steady herself once again. She took another deep breath and exhaled as she felt one of her coworkers guide her into a chair. The last thing Natasha heard was someone asking to call Clint before she blacked out.

* * *

When Natasha came to, she noticed the distinct smell of sterility. Wherever she was, she was uncomfortable and she didn't like it. The moment she opened her eyes, she was greeted by bright fluorescent lights.

_Oh God, not the hospital_, she thought to herself. _Anywhere but the hospital._

"Tasha?" Immediately, Natasha's eyes searched the room for the source of the voice. Clint. Her eyes landed on him to her side with his arms resting on the edge of the bed. The look of worry on his face was undeniable and she couldn't even imagine what kind of hell she had just put him through.

"Hey," she said softly. Clint didn't respond. Instead he got up from the chair he was perched in at the side of her bed and reached out to gently place her face in his hands. He leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against hers, but she could tell how urgent it was. She had definitely scared him. She couldn't even imagine how scared he must have been when he got a phone call saying that his wife passed out during a meeting and needed to go to the hospital.

"Fuck, Tasha," Clint said as he rested his forehead against hers, "you've really got to stop doing this to me."

"Sorry," she said weakly. She moved her arm to reach up and touch the side of Clint's face and felt the tugging of the various wires and tubes she was most likely hooked up to. Whatever happened to her, it must've been pretty bad. "So what happened?"

With a sigh, Clint sat back down in the chair but grabbed her hand. "They said you passed out during the meeting. They told me they figured it was because they pushed lunch back but when I got here, the doctors told me you have this condition called placenta praevia."

"Placenta what?" she asked.

"Placenta praevia. They told me it's this condition when the placenta is too close to the cervix."

"So what does that mean?"

"You could have severe bleeding later on in the pregnancy but from what they told me, the placenta for you is a type I so it's not too severe but it still has to be monitored. It could get worse but since they caught it early on, it could move to its normal position."

Natasha brought her free hand up to rest it on her stomach. "But we're going to be okay?" she asked as she turned her attention back to Clint.

Clint nodded. "Yeah, you just have to work from home now."

"What?" Natasha asked.

"They put you on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. I already talked to our supervisor and she said you can work from home by translating documents from the Security Council and General Assembly meetings."

Natasha groaned as she tilted her head back to rest it on the bed. "What the hell am I going to do the rest of the day then? It'll take me an hour to do all the work they give me."

She heard Clint chuckle. Moment later, he was pressing his lips to her temple. "I'll visit you on my lunch break," he muttered in her ear. "Someone's got to give you your homework anyways."

* * *

_Second Trimester, 23 weeks_

Natasha was losing her mind. Confined to bed rest, she couldn't roam around her house. Every time she finished translating the documents for work, she struggled to find things to do. Watching movies didn't work; even _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ or _The Town_ couldn't entertain her.

The only thing that kept Natasha from going insane was Clint coming home on his lunch break. She always knew he was coming, but every time he walked through their bedroom door, she couldn't help but look surprised. Part of that had to contribute to the fact that he would bring her food, but she was still equally surprised and excited to see him.

"I'm losing my mind, Clint," Natasha said one day the moment he walked through the bedroom door. "I've now resorted to online shopping because the only places I can go are this bed and the bathroom."

"You better not charge up the credit card by buying more shoes," Clint teased, though at the same time, he was very serious.

"Calm down, it's for the baby," Natasha said, waving off Clint's snide comment. "Come look."

Clint climbed onto the bed next to Natasha and leaned over to get a good look at the laptop that was situated on Natasha's outstretched legs. She clicked through the list of baby clothes and toys that she had bought from Babies R Us.

"_And_ I got all this stuff from clearance _and_ I got free shipping," Natasha said matter-of-factly. "So don't tell me I can't charge up the credit card. I'm being smart."

Clint chuckled and then kissed his wife on the cheek. "Alright fine. It's time for lunch. I got your favorite from Shake Shack."

"Cheese fries?" she asked excitedly as she closed the laptop.

"Of course," Clint said as he pulled out the boxed up food from its carrier. Natasha grabbed the box of fries from Clint and immediately dug in. They sat in silence as they ate their lunch together. When they finished, Natasha positioned herself on the bed so that her back was against the pillows and her legs were stretched out again. With a high-pitched sigh, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes as she ran a hand over her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked, panicked.

"Nothing," she said with her eyes still closed. "The baby's just kicking again. He or she does it all day while you're gone."

Clint scooted over towards Natasha but leaned forward so that his lips were just brushing against Natasha's stomach. "Hey you, little one in there. Behave for mommy while daddy's at work," Clint whispered to her stomach.

Natasha giggled. "Speaking of work, I think it's time you get going. Your lunch break's almost up."

Clint sat up but leaned forward to press his lips to Natasha's. "Do I really have to?" he whined against her lips in between kisses.

"Yes," she said firmly when she briefly broke away from him. Clint gently grabbed her face and pulled her lips back to his. He didn't like leaving her to go to work and he knew that someone should probably be staying with her in case something was to happen. But Clint knew that, either way, he would worry about her no matter what.

* * *

_Third Trimester, 28 weeks_

"Do you think it'll still be there? Or do you think it moved?" Natasha asked as she lied on her back on the examination table with a hand on her stomach. For the past couple of weeks, Natasha had been especially concerned about her condition. She had learned through the power of the Internet that placenta praevia could get better or it could get worse. If the condition persisted, she and Clint's baby would have to be delivered via C-section. Natasha wasn't very fond of the idea of getting cut open so she just hoped her condition improved.

"You're getting bigger Nat. The last time we were here, they said that as you get bigger, the placenta could move away and you could be totally fine by the time you have to give birth. If it doesn't and our child has to come out via C-section, then so be it. I'm not going to lose both of you because you just want to do things naturally," Clint said as he put his hand over hers on her stomach.

"I know it's just…it's scary, Clint," she said.

"I know, Nat," Clint said as he grabbed her other hand and kissed it. At that moment, Dr. Page walked into the room and greeted Clint and Natasha with a polite smile. Dr. Page quickly filled out some quick information on Natasha's chart before beginning the examination. Dr. Page started with some basic questions as usual and Natasha answered them as truthfully as possible. When they had finished, Dr. Page listened to Natasha's heartbeat through her stethoscope and then moved it down to Natasha's stomach to listen to the baby's.

"Okay, now we're going to do the ultrasound. We're going to see how you're baby's doing and we're going to check on the placenta," Dr. Page said as Clint and Natasha just nodded in response. Natasha lifted up her shirt so Dr. Page could put the blue gel on it. The gel was cold as usual but after several appointments, Natasha was used to it. Dr. Page brought the ultrasound device over to Natasha's stomach and spread the gel around so they could get a picture. Natasha immediately diverted her attention to the screen and saw the picture of her baby that she had seen so many times.

"Alright, there's your baby. He or she is very healthy. The heartbeat is healthy," Dr. Page said as she pointed to the screen. "We're just going to try to get a look at the placenta to see if it has moved or not." Dr. Page moved the device around on Natasha's stomach as she searched for signs of the placenta. When Dr. Page didn't say anything, Natasha looked at her with a frantic expression. "Actually, there's good news. Since your uterus has expanded, the placenta has now moved to its proper place. I'm still going to ask that you remain on bed rest just in case. We'll continue to monitor it as it gets closer to your due date so we'll see if you can deliver naturally or not."

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. Her condition had gotten better but they still weren't sure if she could deliver naturally. She wanted to avoid getting cut open as much as possible.

"Now, I know I've asked you two many times before but I figured I'll ask one last time. Would you like to know the sex?" Dr. Page asked. Natasha turned her head so that she was facing Clint. At the first appointment that the sex could be determined, Clint and Natasha had initially said no because they wanted it to be a surprise. However, in recent weeks, they'd been having trouble when it came to buying stuff for their baby. Was yellow okay for both a boy and a girl? What would they design the nursery – which they had yet to start on – to be like?

"Do you think we should know?" Natasha asked.

"It's your choice, Nat. I'm fine with it either way," Clint said.

Natasha turned her attention back to Dr. Page and looked at her with excited eyes. "We've changed our minds. We want to know," Natasha said.

"Alright, then let's see if you're having a boy or a girl," Dr. Page said as she moved the device around on Natasha's stomach. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Barton. You're having a boy."

A boy. They were going to have a boy. Though the issue of buying clothes and decorating the nursery was lifted from her shoulders, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. Their baby was going to be exactly like Clint. She knew it for sure. He would grow up to have Clint's beautiful blue-grey eyes and his sandy blonde hair. He would be a complete sweetheart and a total goofball. Natasha wasn't even disappointed over the fact that she was secretly hoping for a girl. She wasn't going to mind one bit having two Clints in the house.

* * *

_Third Trimester, 35 weeks_

When Natasha was around the eight month mark in her pregnancy, Jane and Peggy surprised her by throwing her a baby shower. Natasha had been suspicious when Clint got her out of the house when he of all people stressed that she needed to stay in bed.

"Well, I think you need some fresh air," he said when she asked why they were going somewhere.

Natasha's grandparents had loaned them a town car to take them uptown to Central Park. When they reached the park, Clint took Natasha to her favorite place. They laid in the grass for about an hour as they chatted about baby names; they still hadn't come to a consensus. When the hour was up, Clint called the driver to come pick them up and take them back home.

When they reached their townhouse in The Village, Natasha could tell something was off. As if Clint's behavior wasn't a clear enough indicator, the whole atmosphere surrounding their house was strange. Clint carefully helped Natasha up the steps and let her step through the front door first. The moment she set foot in the front door, she was greeted by her friends, who had decorated the living room in blue streamers.

"Surprise!" they shouted in unison.

Natasha smiled at the sight of her friends. She knew a baby shower had to be coming eventually so she wasn't sure why she didn't put two and two together. Before Natasha could say anything, Peggy and Jane rushed forward and wrapped Natasha up in a hug. When they broke the embrace, they led Natasha over to the couch while Clint joined Thor and Steve in the back of the living room. Baby showers were usually for the women, but if Peggy and Jane were the ones throwing it, Thor and Steve got roped in to attending.

The girls, which also included Maria and Pepper, spent most of their time catching up until it was time to open presents. When Clint and Natasha had gotten married, their friends had only managed to get them one present each, with the exception of the three presents Peggy got them. They had been in college at the time so they couldn't afford much. Now that they had steady jobs, they could manage to get more than one thing.

"Clint, get over here," Peggy demanded. Clint set his drink down and joined Natasha on the couch so they could open the presents their friends had gotten them. One by one, Peggy and Jane passed Natasha presents so she could open them. Clint would take the wrapping paper away while Natasha would look to see what her friends had gotten the baby. When they would pass her another present, Natasha would hand the unwrapped present to Clint so she could grab the next one.

Clint and Natasha's friends had managed to get everything that they still needed for Baby Boy Barton. Now all they needed to do was start the nursery. Natasha knew Clint was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but she still felt pretty guilty that she would be watching from the sidelines.

* * *

_Third Trimester, 36 weeks_

"Got it!" Clint exclaimed as he snapped the railing into place. He pulled it up and he heard it snap into place again. The crib, as well as the nursery, was finally complete.

"Looks good," Natasha said from the corner of the room where she was sitting in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth with her hand resting on her very pregnant stomach.

"Yeah, no thanks to you if I might add," Clint joked.

"Don't be a smart ass."

"Don't cuss. Our son can hear you even though he's 10,000 leagues under the sea," Clint shot back jokingly.

Natasha giggled. "You know, we still have to decide on a name. He can't go by Baby Boy Barton all his life."

Clint crossed the room and placed his hands on both arm rests of the rocking chair. He leaned forward so that his face was inches from Natasha's. "I'm withdrawing my suggestion," he said.

"So that means we can use the name I picked?" Natasha asked eagerly.

"Nope," Clint said. "I've got a better name."

"Lay it on me, love. It can't be any better than the first name you picked or the name I picked," Natasha countered.

"Philip," Clint stated.

Natasha stared at him for a couple seconds before snorting a laugh. "Philip?"

"You don't even know why I want to name him Philip," Clint said. The tone of his voice made it seem like he was hurt by her reaction.

"Okay, sorry. Why do you want to name him Philip?" Natasha asked.

"Coach Coulson from football. His first name was Phil. You might think I had a great relationship with Coach Ross and I did, but Coach Coulson was always the one who was so hard on me. I didn't like it at first, but over time, I saw him as a father figure. He was a hard ass but I grew to like him."

"That's sweet, Clint," Natasha said softly as she brought a hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Does that mean I win the name game?" Clint asked.

Natasha inhaled a deep breath before exhaling. "Okay, Philip. We'll name him Philip."

"Yes? We're naming him Philip?" Clint asked excitedly.

"Yes, you idiot," Natasha said.

Clint broke out into a huge grin and he closed the distance between his lips and hers.

* * *

_Third trimester, 40 weeks_

It was early in the morning when Natasha felt her water break. She'd been having trouble sleeping; being pregnant didn't exactly allow her to get comfortable. She cussed as she pushed herself into an upright position and then gently shoved Clint's sleeping form. Clint groaned in response but didn't wake up. She shoved him once again and he turned his head to face her. He opened one eye as if she was shining a bright light into his face, even though she wasn't.

"You're kid's coming," she stated bluntly.

"What?" Clint asked groggily.

"My water broke," she said.

Clint sat bolt upright in bed as he stared at his pregnant wife. "Wait, so that means…" he trailed off.

"Oh for God's sake, I'm going into labor! The baby's coming!" she shrieked.

Clint stared at her for a couple seconds before springing out of bed to find the bag they had packed a couple days prior. He found the bags right inside the door of the walk-in closet and he kicked them into the bedroom.

"Clint," Natasha said as he carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Before you do anything else, some pants and a shirt would be a good idea."

Clint stared at her before glancing down at his body. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of boxers and he quickly turned to the dresser to rummage around for a t-shirt and a pair of pants. He stumbled into his pants and wrestled himself into his shirt before slipping on a pair of sneakers. He picked up the bags and then rushed over to Natasha's side so he could help her down the stairs.

"I already called a town car and my grandparents should be meeting us there. When we get there, we'll have to call my dad too," Natasha explained as they carefully made their way down the stairs. When they made it to the front door, the town car was waiting for them; the driver patiently waiting to open the door.

It wasn't a long ride to the hospital and it wasn't stressful or difficult to check in either. Within a half hour of arriving at the hospital, Natasha was taken to a room, changed into a hospital gown, and was hooked up to several machines to monitor her and the baby. It wasn't until an hour later when Natasha started to panic.

"Oh God, I can't do this," Natasha said.

"Tasha," Clint said with a slight chuckle. "It'll be fine. I'll be right here with you through all of it."

"No, no, no, I can't be a mom. I don't know _how_ to be a mom. I had a shitty mom and my parents were never there for me and - ."

Clint's lips collided with Natasha's to calm her. She had been so invested in her rant that she hadn't even noticed Clint get up from his chair at the side of her bed. When he pulled away from her, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "But _I_ was there for you, Nat, and I always will be. Now I know you can do this. You can be a mom. You're going to be a great mom.

"You're not the only one who's scared, Nat. I'm scared shitless too. We've read everything we possibly could about raising a child but there's no book on how to be good parents. It's never easy for the first kid but I know that we'll do it together. I'll always have your back and I'll have yours. Understand me?"

Natasha nodded her head and Clint's lips connected with hers again. "We're going to be okay," he whispered to her when pulled away from her. "We're going to be just fine."

* * *

It was ten hours later when Natasha was finally dilated enough to push. Dr. Page had come in with her scrubs on as she was pulling on latex gloves. Natasha had been helped into a comfortable position and her feet were in the stirrups. Clint had been given a set of scrubs to keep the room sterile during the delivery.

"Okay Natasha, we're going to do this just like we talked about in our last appointment. Remember what we talked about?" Dr. Page asked. Natasha nodded her head weakly. "Alright, are you ready?"

Natasha turned to face Clint and he nodded his head to reassure her that she was ready. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and then grabbed her hand. Turning back to face Dr. Page, Natasha just nodded silently. Dr. Page nodded back and started shouting out orders for Natasha to push.

Natasha had always had a high tolerance for pain, but this was nothing compared to what she's dealt with in the past. That injury during the Powderpuff football game was nothing. Practically coughing up her lungs when she had pneumonia was nothing. This was like taking your bottom lip and stretching it all the way to the back of your head.

However, Natasha knew that it was only slightly less painful because Clint was by her side. That's how it had been for the pain in the past too. Clint had rushed to her side after she sustained the injury in the Powderpuff game. He even met up with her at the hospital afterwards. He took her to the hospital when she had pneumonia, despite the fact that she didn't want to go. He even stayed with her that night she was sick after they had been dating for a year in high school. She knew that if he wasn't by her side now, she wouldn't be able to do it.

"Natasha, one more push. You're almost there. Make it a big one," Dr. Page said.

"Oh God, I can't," Natasha said breathlessly as her head lolled back from exhaustion.

"Nat, you're almost there," Clint said. "You want to meet our son, right?"

Natasha nodded weakly before inhaling to gather up the strength to continue. Dr. Page counted her down and she gave one last push. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of a high-pitched scream.

"It's a boy!" Dr. Page announced as she held up Clint and Natasha's wailing son. Clint felt a grin break out across his face and he turned to face Natasha to see her smiling back weakly at their son. Clint leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of her head before she turn to face him so he could properly kiss her.

While some of the doctors tended to their son, Dr. Page and a few nurses checked Natasha's vitals to make sure she was okay. Once they cleared her as healthy and stable, they took her into another room to clean her up. Clint stood awkwardly in the middle of the room as he watched the doctors tediously work.

"Excuse me, Mr. Barton," one of the nurses said. Clint shook his head to pull himself out of his thoughts and saw a nurse standing in front of him with his son in her arms. "Would you like to hold your son?"

Clint knew that it was probably wrong to hold their son before Natasha did, but he desperately wanted to hold him. Clint just nodded and the nurse gently handed him over to Clint and showed him how to hold the infant. The moment the nurse walked away, Clint's eyes diverted to his newborn son. He knew it was wrong, absolutely wrong for him to be holding his son before Natasha but he promised himself the moment she walked back into the room, he would hand him over to her.

It was a couple more minutes before Natasha reappeared and climbed back into bed. Clint kept his promise and immediately handed their son over to her. The moment his son was safe in Natasha's arms, Clint shed the blue scrubs and handed them over to a nurse who was offering to take them from him. When he turned his attention back to Natasha, she had scooted over on the bed to make room for Clint. He sat down next to her, his eyes focused on his son.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barton," one of the nurses said. They looked up to see her holding a pen and a piece of paper. "Do we have a name for him yet?"

"Philip," Clint said. "Philip James Barton." The nurse nodded as she jotted down the information and then exited the room. Clint turned his attention back to his wife and son just in time to see his son yawn. He then turned to look at Natasha, who hadn't even taken her eyes off of Philip since he had been placed in her arms. "I love you," he said. "I love both of you."

Natasha pried her eyes away from Philip for the first time to look into Clint's blue-grey eyes. She smiled weakly and then reached up to kiss Clint. He met her halfway and he cupped the side of her face with his hand. In the middle of the kiss, Philip started to squirm and whimper in Natasha's arms so she broke away from Clint to turn her attention back to her newborn son.

They weren't quite sure how long they sat there just staring at Philip. There was so much they couldn't wait to look forward to. But for now, they were just going to sit there and watch him as they let it sink in that they were a family.

* * *

**Awww Philip James Barton was born. I hope you guys liked this!**

**For those of you that read my other fic, _Lucky Ones_, I am sorry I haven't updated when I said I would. I have a 6-7 page paper due on Monday for my political philosophy class so I might not be able to get to it for the rest of the weekend. BUT, the paper is due Monday so maybe I can update it after my class.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave a review to let me know what you think!**


	13. Back to the Burg

**Summary/Setting: Natasha is 26 years old; Clint is 27. Their son, Philip James Barton, is now 2 years old. Clint and Natasha have not been back to Stroudsburg since they left to live in New York City. In this story/one-shot/update, they head back to Stroudsburg so their son can spend more time with Clint's parents. Clint and Natasha end up taking their son to the playground at Hamilton Elementary School where Clint and Natasha first met, and Philip finds Clint's bow.**

**As many of you guys guessed from **_**Fix You**_**, I am from Pennsylvania but I am also from Stroudsburg, Clint and Natasha's hometown in the story. The title of this chapter is called "Back to the Burg." Most of the time, we just called Stroudsburg "The Burg." It's shorter, simpler, and it gets the point across. Just figured I'd clear that up so you guys knew I what I was talking about when it came to the title of this update haha. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Up, Mama! Up! Up! Up!" Philip James Barton exclaimed as he bounced on his parents' bed. Clint and Natasha groaned and they both peeked out from under the covers to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It read 7:24 and their son was just as hyper as ever.

"Hey buddy," Clint said groggily as he released a half-asleep Natasha from his arms. "Why don't you lay down with us?"

"No Daddy! We need to go! Wanna see Nana and Poppy!" the mini-Clint exclaimed. Ever since Clint and Natasha had told him they would be spending a weekend in Stroudsburg with Clint's parents since they never got to see Philip very often, Philip was beyond excited. With Natasha's help, he had been counting down the days ever since they had told him about it. Now that the day was finally here, he apparently couldn't wait any longer.

"We talked about this buddy," Clint said as he lazily rubbed his eyes. "We're not leaving until after lunch. Come lay down and I'll put on cartoons."

"Okay Daddy!" the two-year-old exclaimed as he dropped to his knees and then crawled in between Clint and Natasha in their king-sized bed. Clint grabbed the remote from the bedside table on his side of the bed and flipped on the TV. Philip burrowed underneath the covers as an episode of Spongebob came on the TV.

With a sigh, Clint let his head rest against his pillow as he drifted back to sleep. It was times like these he was thankful his son was such an understanding and patient kid. Despite their son being two, Clint and Natasha hadn't become accustomed to the early mornings on the weekends. So when he would come in early in the morning, he usually lied down in bed with Natasha and Clint and watched cartoons while they tried to catch more shut eye.

However, after a couple hours, Philip grew tired of the cartoons so he gently shook Clint and Natasha awake.

"Yes, Philip?" Natasha asked sleepily.

"Breakfast, Mommy," Philip said.

"What do you say?" she asked as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Breakfast _please_, Mommy."

"Very good, Philip," she praised. "Alright, come on." Natasha whipped the covers off of her body and then helped Philip slide off of the bed. Philip took off towards the stairs, calling over his shoulder for Natasha to follow him. "Philip, do not run down the stairs. Grab hold of the posts in between the handrail."

She saw him take a careful step down the first step, grabbing hold of one of the posts. She quickly turned her attention back to Clint's sleeping form. If she had to be up, then he had to be up too. She grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her husband. He replied with an irritated groan, but didn't wake up.

"If I have to be up, you have to be up too," she said with a smirk.

"Five more minutes," Clint groaned.

"Daddy, come on! Make me waffles for breakfast!" Philip said from the stairs, his face pressed up against the posts.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Clint said as he whipped the covers off of his body. Philip cheered with joy from the stairs and then carefully continued making his way down the flight of stairs to the kitchen. Clint padded over to Natasha, who was still standing in the middle of the bedroom with a smirk plastered across her face. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Good morning to you too, by the way," he said sarcastically when he pulled away from her.

Natasha giggled. "Sorry. It was either that or unleash Philip on you."

Clint was about to say something when he heard his son's voice coming from the foot of the stairs. "Mommy, I made it down the stairs by myself!"

"Very good, Philip," Natasha called back.

"Come on! Breakfast! Breakfast!" Philip cheered from the foot of the stairs.

"We're coming, buddy," Clint replied. When he realized his son had finished ordering them around, he turned back to Natasha to place another soft kiss to her lips before they both headed downstairs for some breakfast.

* * *

It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon when they had pulled into Clint's parents' driveway. They had hit some heavy traffic on their way out of the city, plus it had been a hassle getting Natasha's car from the garage where they kept it when they were in the city. Despite the long and agonizing journey back to Stroudsburg, it finally felt good to be back.

"We're here, Philip," Natasha announced as Clint put the car in park. Philip clapped his hands and bounced up and down in his car seat out of excitement as Clint and Natasha unbuckled their seatbelts.

"I'll grab the bags. Take him inside before he has a heart attack," Clint said with a chuckle as they both pushed open their car doors to get out. Natasha opened the back door to unbuckle Philip from his car seat and then set him down on the ground. The moment his feet hit the gravel, he grabbed Natasha's hand and started pulling her towards the house.

When they were halfway there, Clint's mom had opened the front door and stepped out onto the front porch. Immediately, Philip let go of Natasha's hand and took off towards the front porch. "Nana!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran full-speed towards Clint's mom. He ran up the stairs – nearly tripping on the top step – and launched himself into Clint's mom's arms.

Natasha shook her head at her ridiculously silly son. He was definitely the spitting image of Clint and his personality and behavior was no exception. When Clint reached her side, she offered to take one of the bags. He handed off Philip's bag of toys to her as they walked towards the front porch.

"And the other day, in day care, I got a gold star 'cause I cleaned up the paint station the best," Philip boasted as Clint's mom listened intently.

Clint chuckled. "Hi Mom," he said as he mounted the steps to the front porch. He approached his mother and kissed her on the cheek. He continued on into the house to take the bags up to his former bedroom.

"Hi Susan," Natasha said as she reached the top of the steps.

"Hi Natasha," Clint's mom said cheerfully before returning her attention back to the mini-Clint in her arms. "What do you say we go inside and have some cookies that I just baked?"

"Cookies!" Philip exclaimed.

"Only a couple, Philip," Natasha said firmly. "You don't want to spoil your dinner later."

Clint's mom nodded in agreement and then nodded towards the house as if to tell Natasha to follow her inside. The moment they stepped into the house, a wave of memories overcame Natasha. There were the good and the bad, the sad and the hilarious. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clint step off of the bottom step. She felt him wrap his arms around her and press a kiss to her temple.

She felt his lips near her ear and he whispered to her, "It's good to be back."

* * *

When Clint, Natasha, and Philip awoke on Saturday morning, they were greeted with the sweet smell of bacon wafting upstairs from the kitchen. They headed downstairs and saw Clint's parents making breakfast and they bid each other good morning. Clint's parents ordered Clint and Natasha to sit down at the table while they made breakfast for them.

When Clint's parents had finished making breakfast, they all sat down at the table together and ate in silence as they savored the rich flavors of a home cooked meal.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Clint asked his parents as he took a bite of toast.

"Well, the township fall cleanup is today so we were going to clean out the garage and take all of the junk to the township building to get rid of it," Clint's father said.

"You don't have to help. Why don't you take Philip to the park or something?" Clint's mom suggested.

At his mother's suggestion, Clint got an idea. They hadn't really been back to Stroudsburg since they left to live in New York City. They stopped by briefly on their way to Washington, D.C. for a business meeting before they'd had Philip, but it was only for a couple hours before they were on their way again. They didn't really see anymore than the inside of Clint's former living room.

"Yeah," Clint said in agreement. "Yeah, I think we'll do that." The family finished the rest of their breakfast in silence. When Clint, Natasha, and Philip were finished, they retreated upstairs to get ready for the day. Within the hour, they were dressed and in the car, bound for the park. However, Natasha grew confused when Clint started heading in a different direction.

"Clint, where are you going?"

"You'll see," he said with a smirk plastered across his face.

Within a couple minutes, they were pulling into the parking lot of Hamilton Elementary School. Natasha rolled her eyes as she recalled the last time her and Clint were here. It was the night Clint graduated high school and Natasha had been worried as to how her and Clint would be able to maintain a long-distance relationship. Natasha shook her head at that thought. She was stupid to think that they wouldn't make it work.

"Where are we, Daddy?" Philip piped up from the back seat.

"This, buddy, is where I first met your mommy," Clint said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Out of the corner of his eye, Clint could see a smile spreading across Natasha's face but she was biting her bottom lip to keep it from spreading any further.

"At school?" Philip asked from the backseat.

"Yeah, well, on the playground out back," Clint said. He pushed open his door and Natasha followed. She opened the door to the back and unbuckled Philip from his car seat. The moment she set him down on the ground, he took off towards the front of the car to join Clint. When Natasha joined them, they headed to the back of the school to the playground.

When they reached the playground, they stopped right on the edge of it and Clint crouched down next to his son. "You see that spot over there, right on the edge of the other side of the playground, Philip?" Clint asked as he pointed in the direction of where he was talking about. Philip nodded his head as he spotted the area Clint was pointing at. "That's where I first met your mommy. Some boys were being mean to her and I went over to them and told them to go away."

"Like a superhero? Like Batman, Daddy?" the small child asked excitedly.

"Yeah, buddy, like Batman. Plus," Clint said as he leaned towards his son. "I thought she was pretty."

"Mommy's _very_ pretty, Daddy. Get it right," Philip said matter-of-factly.

Clint chuckled. "You're right, Philip. Mommy is very pretty. My mistake."

Clint heard Natasha giggle and he saw her crouch down on the other side of Philip. "Yeah, well, I thought your daddy was kind of cute, but boys have cooties."

"They do not!" Philip exclaimed as he folded his arms across his chest. "Girls have cooties."

"Yeah, girls have cooties, Nat," Clint agreed with his son.

Natasha rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Philip. "What do you say we swing on the swings?"

"Yeah!" Philip exclaimed as he took off at a run towards the swings. "Mama, Daddy, come on!"

Natasha giggled at her son and felt Clint's arms wrap around her waist from behind. "If I had told you the night we were here after my graduation that the next time we would be back here we'd be bringing our son, would you have believed me?" Clint whispered in her ear.

"Sadly, probably not," she said with a giggle. "You of all people know I was having difficulty convincing myself we'd be okay with the long-distance thing."

"We survived," he said as he brushed her hair back and pressed a kiss to the curve where her neck and shoulder met.

"Are you forgetting the part when I ended things between us?"

"Yes, I am," he said firmly as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's not important. What is important is that I love you and we're married and we love our son."

"Speaking of our son, do you think we should go help him up on that swing?" Natasha said, nodding in Philip's direction. Sure enough, their two-year-old son was struggling to get himself onto the seat of the swing.

"We're horrible parents," Clint said jokingly with a chuckle.

"Come on," Natasha said as she untangled herself from Clint's grasp. "Actually, before we go over there, there's something I've always wanted to do." Natasha grabbed Clint's hand and led him under the swirly slide where Thor and Jane had their first kiss. With a playful smirk, Natasha pulled Clint in for a kiss.

She knew this was pretty much Thor and Jane's spot and it held a special memory for them, but who was to say Natasha couldn't steal that idea and make her own memories with Clint? The playground already held so many memories of Clint and Natasha during the time they attended Hamilton Elementary so there was no reason why they couldn't come back and make a few more memories.

"Ew! Yuck!" Clint and Natasha heard their son say. They broke away from each other to find Philip standing next to them with his hands covering his eyes and his tongue sticking out in disgust.

"Yuck?" Natasha asked teasingly.

"Yeah, yuck!" Philip repeated with his eyes still covered.

Natasha giggled as she crouched down in front of Philip. He peeked out from between his fingers between taking his hands away from his face. "You know what, Philip. I bet I can beat you _and_ your daddy on who can swing the highest on the swings."

"Nuh uh! I can swing the highest!" Philip said defensively.

"I don't think so, buddy. Your mom and I were really good when we went to school here," Clint said.

"I'm gonna beat you then!" Philip announced.

"Oh, it's so on then, bud," Clint said.

"I get the third swing from the right!" Natasha exclaimed and then took off at run towards the swing.

"We have to catch up with her, Philip. That swing goes the highest," Clint said as he scooped up his son and took off at a jog towards the swing set.

* * *

When Clint, Natasha, and Philip returned to Clint's parents' house, it looked like the garage had thrown up all of its contents. The driveway was packed with old boxes and ancient bikes, old Christmas lights and deflated footballs. The driveway was so packed that Clint could barely pull the car all the way into the driveway.

As usual, the moment Philip's feet hit the ground he took off at a run towards Clint's parents. Clint and Natasha just sighed as they watched him practically tackle Clint's dad as he was bent over, picking up a string of Christmas lights.

"Is it possible for our kid to be _too_ happy?" Natasha asked with a sigh.

"He's two, Nat," Clint said with a chuckle. "He just has too much energy. When he gets to the teenage years, that's when he'll be pissed off all the time."

"We weren't like that, were we?" Natasha asked.

"I don't think so," Clint mused. "At least, I sure hope not."

As they passed by a pile of boxes, Clint's mom's head peeked out from behind them. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail and she was wearing her glasses. "Oh hi, how was the park?" Clint mom asked.

"Good. We actually took him to Hamilton," Clint said as he reached into a box and pulled out a box of Christmas ornaments. He examined them wearily before dropping them back into the box.

"Oh, sounds like you guys had fun," Clint's mom said as she lifted a box and set it on top of a pile of other boxes.

"What's this?" Natasha and Clint heard Philip say. They turned to see their son holding Clint's bow. He was holding the bow by the handle with the bow string just barely skimming the ground. It was much too big for him, which was partially why he was having trouble holding it up.

Clint chuckled as he stepped forward to help Philip. He crouched down next to his son and then took the bow from his hands, carefully setting it across his lap. "This is a bow, Philip," Clint said. "You shoot an arrow with it. Actually, the quiver should be around here somewhere." Clint stood up and searched through the piles of boxes until he found his quiver full of arrows. "Yeah so you use the bow to shoot one of these," Clint said as he pulled one of the arrows out of the quiver and loaded it into the bow.

"Whoa, show me! Shoot it, Daddy!" Philip cried excitedly.

Clint chuckled. "Alright, alright, let me find the target and we'll go out back."

Clint searched the piles of junk until he finally found his target. He dragged the target into the backyard as Natasha and Philip followed him. He set it up on the edge of the woods like he used to and then put a decent amount of space between him and the target.

Clint couldn't quite remember the last time he had actually fired his bow, but he figured it was like riding a bike. You didn't forget. Pulling an arrow out of his quiver, Clint saw Natasha pick up Philip to make sure that he didn't get in the way of the trajectory of the arrow when Clint shot it. Having his bow in his hands again felt so good. When he loaded the arrow, he immediately pulled it back, took a deep breath and then let it out before releasing the arrow. It whizzed through the air before embedding itself in the center of the target.

Clint heard the sound of clapping from tiny hands from behind him and he turned around to see Philip clapping for him. "Again, again!" Philip exclaimed. Clint chuckled and did as he was told. He turned back around to face the target and loaded another arrow into his bow. He pulled back the bowstring and lined his bow up with the target. He relaxed his fingers as he let go of the second arrow, sending it flying through the air towards the target. As usual, it hit the center.

Philip applauded his father's talents once more. "Do it again!" Philip ordered.

"You know what? Don't you think Mommy should shoot one?" Clint said with a smirk.

"Yeah, shoot one Mama!" Philip ordered.

Natasha glared at Clint, who had a goofy smile plastered across his face.

"Oh come on, Tasha. I'll help you again if you really need it," Clint said.

"Yeah Mommy, Daddy will help you," Philip said.

Natasha glared at Clint for a couple more seconds before she walked over to the back deck. She set Philip down on the first step and told him to watch from there. Then, Natasha joined Clint and he handed her the bow and an arrow.

"Remember how to do it?" Clint asked.

"No because we practiced that one night and that was it," Natasha said icily.

Clint chuckled. "Oh calm down. Do it for our son."

Natasha rolled her eyes but took the bow from Clint and aimed it at the target. She pulled the bowstring back but didn't release the arrow. Instead, she was going to play stupid to get Clint to teach her again. After all, he was a really good teacher.

"Like this?" she asked as she purposely let her grip slacken on the bow string.

"Oh good God, Nat, it's not that hard," Clint said as he rolled his eyes. She felt him wrap his arms around her and rest his hands on top of hers. He helped her pull the bowstring back further and he raised the bow so that it was aligned with the target. "Remember, you've got to relax your fingers and shoulders."

Natasha did as she was told and relaxed her shoulders and let her fingers slacken but still kept hold of the bowstring in its proper place.

"You're doing this one by yourself," Clint said as she felt his hand and his body disappear from around her. She kept her focus on her target and she took a deep breath and then let it out. She relaxed her fingers even more until she eventually let go of the bowstring.

The arrow went soaring throw the air until it lodged itself into the target. In fact, it lodged itself right on the outer edge of the center.

"Yay Mommy!" Philip exclaimed as Natasha felt him wrap his arms around her leg.

"Nat, seriously, that's way better than when you did it however many years ago," Clint said as he stared at the target in awe.

Natasha picked Philip up from the ground and then flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, well, I've just got a really good teacher."

"Teach _me_, Daddy!" Philip cheered.

"Maybe when you're a little bigger, buddy. The bow's just as big as you," Clint said with a chuckle.

"Pinky promise," Philip said as he held out his right pinky.

Clint stared at his son for a split second before linking his pinky with Philip's. "Pinky promise."

* * *

**I was going to wait 'til tomorrow to post this but I got too excited when I was proofreading it that I HAD to share it. I hope you guys liked it. Isn't Philip just too darn adorable? And did you like their return to Stroudsburg, particularly the playground at their elementary school?**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave a review to let me know what you think.**


	14. Ronan

**Summary/Setting: This happens not much after (say about a month and a half) Clint and Natasha return to Stroudsburg, so Clint is still 27 and Natasha is still 26. Philip is still 2. This one-shot will be a combination of ideas from Halcyon Electric and guest reviewer TaylorB. I'm not going to say anything else because I don't want to spoil it so enjoy!**

* * *

Natasha stared at the white stick on bathroom countertop at she patiently waited for the results. She and Clint had talked about having another baby but they never really planned on when it would happen. If the test turned out to be positive, Natasha would be ecstatic and Clint would be beyond thrilled. Natasha wasn't quite sure how Philip would react to it, or if he would understand, but she was sure he would love his younger brother or sister when it came time for he or she to be born.

Natasha smiled when she saw the test come out positive. She was pregnant. She and Clint were going to have another baby. Philip was going to have a little brother or sister. They were going to be one big, happy family.

With the smile still plastered on her face, Natasha walked out of the bathroom and into their bedroom to see Clint still fast asleep in bed. Natasha was surprised when Philip hadn't come in and jumped on their bed to wake them up. Before she had gone into the bathroom to take the test, she had checked on him and he was, surprisingly, still fast asleep.

Natasha tip toed across the room and climbed onto the bed. She crawled across the bed and climbed on top of Clint, who groaned out of irritation. Natasha leaned forward so that her lips were right by Clint's ear. "Clint, I need you to wake up because I have something to show you," she whispered.

"Show me in five minutes," Clint grumbled.

"Clint, you need to see this now while I'm super excited," Natasha said as she gently bounced up and down on his chest.

"Alright, alright," Clint groaned as his eyes popped open and he pushed himself into a sitting position. "What?"

Without saying a word to him, Natasha presented the pregnancy test to him with a smile on her face. Clint eyes opened wide with shock and his jaw dropped as he took the test from his wife. He studied it for a couple seconds before returning his attention back to Natasha. "You're pregnant?"

Natasha nodded her head while she bit her lip to hide the smile that was starting to spread across her face.

"We're going to have another baby?" Clint asked, the excitement starting to show in his voice. Natasha nodded again. "God, I love you, Nat," Clint said as he tossed the pregnancy test aside and cradled her face in his hands to kiss her. Natasha giggled when Clint tackled her onto her back and started to kiss her stomach. "I love you, whoever you are in there."

Natasha giggled again at Clint's childish behavior as he attacked her lips with his. Natasha was nervous about having another baby, but a butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of nervous. She was an excited nervous. She couldn't wait to meet the tiny being inside of her. Nine months couldn't go by any quicker.

* * *

Natasha and Philip were sitting in the living room one Friday morning watching cartoons and building a tower out Philip's blocks. Natasha was about eight weeks along in her second pregnancy and she had asked that she get Fridays off so that she could not only spend time with Philip, but so she could have her appointments scheduled on those days as well. As much as she believed that Philip needed to go to day care and socialize, Natasha was just like every other mother who didn't want him to go so Fridays were their day to spend together, just the two of them.

Natasha was helping Philip build his tower when she started to feel some strange pressure in her abdomen. Natasha just brushed it off and figured she had a stomach ache and continued to hand blocks to Philip. But after a while, the pain became unbearable and she had to get up to figure out what was going on.

Natasha took a couple steps before the pain hit her hard. She clutched her stomach as she moaned out of discomfort. She tried so hard to stifle the noise so as not to scare Philip but the pain was unbearable.

"Mama," Philip said from behind her. Hesitantly, Natasha looked over her shoulder to see Philip with his bright blue eyes staring at her. Something was clearly wrong and she didn't want to scare Philip. That's the last thing she wanted.

Natasha turned back around and closed her eyes to take a deep breath. "Philip, honey, I need you to grab mommy's phone from the couch and –," she started but was cut off when pain shot through her stomach. She let out a shriek but she bit her lip to stifle it.

"Mommy?" she heard Philip say. Just hearing him utter her name, she could hear the fear in his voice. Now Natasha was scared because Philip was scared.

"Sweetie, mommy's phone please. Can you grab it?" Natasha heard Philip get up from the floor and grab her phone before appearing in front of her.

"Here, Mommy," Philip said quietly, holding out the phone to her.

Natasha was about to reach out and grab it when pain shot through her abdomen again. Natasha let out a whimper as she bent over and curled her arm around her stomach. As she was bent over, she noticed something dark running down her legs.

_Oh no. Oh please no_, she thought.

Natasha sucked in a deep breath before she lifted her head to look at her son. The panic in his eyes was undeniable, but Natasha mustered up a weak smile to comfort him. "Philip, I need you to be a big boy and make a phone call for mommy. Can you do that for me?" she asked as calmly as possible. Philip nodded his head. "Okay, I need you call 911."

Philip slid his tiny thumb across the screen and opened the keypad. When he had the keypad opened, he looked back at Natasha with worried eyes. "911, Philip. Press 9-1-1, hit the green button, and wait for someone to answer, okay?"

Philip nodded before tapping the numbers on the screen and hitting the green button. He pressed the phone to his ear and Natasha continued to breathe deeply in and out of her nose to stay conscious. The pain was unbearable and she couldn't even imagine how much blood she was losing, but she needed to stay conscious for Philip.

"Hi, there's something wrong with my mommy," Philip said finally when someone answered. Philip paused as the person on the other end of the line asked him a question. "She doesn't feel good and there's blood on the floor." There was another brief moment of silence as Philip listened to the person on the other end. "Philip James Barton, and I'm two years old. My mommy's name is Natasha Barton." Another brief moment of silence. "I live in The Village but I don't know my address."

That's when Natasha mustered up enough strength to recite their address to Philip so he could tell the person on the other line. Philip repeated the address and he waited for the person to respond. "Okay," Philip said finally. There another brief moment of silence before Philip spoke again. "Is my mommy going to be okay?"

Natasha felt hot tears begin to slide down her cheeks. There was nothing worse than seeing her son scared and she was the one who was inflicting that fear into him. However, even though Philip was scared right now, he was being unbelievably brave for a two year old and that's what made Natasha cry even harder.

"I don't know," Philip said suddenly and then ran to the window to check outside. "They're here!" Philip then ran to the front door and opened it. Immediately, two paramedics rushed into the room and Natasha let out a pained whimper. She couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Mrs. Barton, I'm going to help you lie down on the floor, alright?" the female paramedic said the moment she reached Natasha's side. Natasha nodded weakly and she felt the female paramedic help lower her to the ground.

The moment she was lying flat on her back on the floor, Philip appeared at her side with her phone still in his hand. "Is my mommy okay?" Philip asked the female paramedic that was working on helping Natasha.

"Philip, honey," Natasha said weakly. She looked up at her son and looked into his piercing blue eyes, and at that moment, she saw so much of Clint in him. That's when she realized how badly she wanted Clint right now. "I need you to call daddy at work. If he doesn't answer, keep calling. Can you be a big boy and do that for mommy?"

Philip nodded and stepped away to find Clint's phone number in Natasha's contacts. Natasha let out a pained moan as the female paramedic put some pressure on her stomach. "Mrs. Barton, we're going to need to take you to the hospital to get your vitals, but you are having a miscarriage," the female paramedic said.

Miscarriage. That was the last word Natasha wanted to hear. She had wanted this baby so badly. She wanted Philip to have a little brother or sister to play with. She wanted to know why this was happening to her. Of all things to happen to her, why did it have to be this?

The male paramedic rolled a stretcher into the living room and they both lifted her onto it. The female paramedic began to roll her out of the house when Natasha to moan for Philip. "Where's Philip? Where's my son?"

"Mrs. Barton, it's okay. He's right behind us. My partner has him," the female paramedic reassured her. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief as the female paramedic loaded the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. Moments later, Philip rushed to Natasha's side with the phone still pressed to his ear. The male paramedic loaded into the back, shut the doors, and shouted to his partner that they could go.

"Daddy," Philip said finally. Natasha looked over at Philip with panicked eyes. "Daddy, something's wrong with Mommy." There was silence as she heard Clint's faint voice through the phone. "We're in an ambulance and we're going to the hospital." Natasha could hear the panic in Clint's voice as he asked Philip questions. "Mister," Philip said, turning to the male paramedic, "what hospital are we going to?" The male paramedic responded to Philip and Philip repeated the information to Clint. "Mommy's been crying, Daddy." There was brief silence as Philip listened to Clint. Then he hung up the phone and looked at Natasha with his bright blue eyes. "Daddy says he's coming, Mommy, and he says he loves you."

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Philip." Natasha held out her hand and Philip grasped it. "You're very brave, you know that Philip?" Natasha said. "You're so much like your daddy it's uncanny." Philip nodded as he knelt down next to the stretcher that Natasha was on and he rested his arms on top of it as he still held onto Natasha's hand. Natasha kept her green eyes on her son's blue ones because if it weren't for Philip, there was no way she'd be awake right now. So she kept her eyes focused on Philip's because that was the only thing that forced her to keep holding on.

* * *

Natasha sat in the hospital bed with her arms resting on her raised knees and her forehead resting on her arms. The emotional pain was ten times more hurtful than the physical pain she had endured. Not only had they told her that she had a miscarriage, but she had a miscarriage involving twins. She was going to have twins, but now that was no longer happening.

Natasha lifted her head when she heard the door to her room open and she saw Clint slip into the room. The moment she saw him, she burst into tears as she let her forehead rest against her arms again. Seconds later, she felt Clint climb onto the bed and wrap his arms around her. She lifted her head and let it rest against Clint's chest as she continued to cry.

"Nat, it's okay. We're going to be okay," Clint said.

"They said it was from my last pregnancy, from the placenta praevia. Clint, what if this keeps happening? What if I can't have any more kids?" she cried hysterically.

"Don't say that, Tasha. They didn't tell us that so don't get yourself worked up over that," Clint said as he rubbed her back.

"I wanted another baby so bad, Clint, and we were getting two! We were getting two fucking kids, and now we're not going to have any."

"We'll try again, Nat. I promise you we'll try again," Clint said as he kissed the top of her head. "But we still have Philip and he's really worried about you."

Natasha instantly calmed herself down at the mentioning of her brave two-year-old son. She knew he had been scared the entire time, but he did everything she asked him to do without hesitation. "Where is he?" she said as she pushed herself up. "I want to see him. Where's Philip? I want to see him right now."

"Nat, calm down, please," Clint demanded. "Stop stressing yourself out. He's out in the waiting room with your dad. I'll go get him, okay?" Natasha nodded and Clint carefully climbed out of the bed. He placed a quick kiss to her forehead before exiting the room.

Natasha sighed as she relaxed back against the bed. She took several deep breaths to compose herself before Philip got in the room. She knew she'd start crying the moment he was in her arms, but she didn't want to scare him anymore than she already had today.

A couple minutes later, Philip burst through the door with a small bouquet of flowers in his tiny hands. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" he chanted.

"Hi Philip," Natasha said as she choked back tears. Philip struggled to get up on the bed and Clint appeared behind him to lift him up. When Clint set him down on the bed, Philip climbed into Natasha's lap and Natasha immediately pulled him close.

"Mama, me and Grandpa got you some flowers and I picked them out," Philip said as he waved the tiny bouquet in front of her.

"Thank you, Philip," she said as she gingerly took the bouquet. "They're beautiful." She set the flowers down next to her on the bed as she placed a kiss on her son's cheek and then his forehead. Natasha tightened her grip on her son as she felt the tears begin to fall.

"Mama, don't cry," Philip said as he wiped a tear away from Natasha's face. "Flowers are supposed to make everything better. They're not supposed to make you cry."

Natasha let out a giggle through the tears. If it weren't for the situation that she was in, that was something Clint would've said to her. Her son and her husband were so alike it was scary. "I love you, Philip. You know that I love you very much, right?"

"Mhmmm," Philip hummed as he nodded his head. Natasha kissed Philip's forehead and he rested his head on her shoulder. Natasha was exhausted – mentally, physically, and emotionally – and it was going to take some time for her to get over the emotional pain of losing two babies at once. But she knew that as long as she had Philip and Clint, she would be able to move on.

Natasha carefully reached her hand out to Clint and she felt him grab her hand. She pulled him towards the bed and he kissed the top of her head.

"We'll try again, Tasha. I promise we'll try again. As soon as the doctors give you the okay, we'll try again," Clint reassured her. Natasha turned to face Clint and she nodded her head. Clint leaned in and kissed her on the lips to let her know that he would always be there for her, that he would do anything for her. That was the way it had always been and that was the way it would always be.

* * *

**I hope that wasn't too sad. Don't blame me, TaylorB made me do it haha. And Halcyon Electric, I hope you were okay with your twins idea being used in that way. If you guys have something you want to see happen between Clint and Natasha, leave me your ideas in a review or inbox me and I'll get to when I can. Also, this update was named after the Taylor Swift song "Ronan" which is actually about a 4 year old cancer patient that died but I felt like if you listened to that song while reading this, it would really make you cry and give you major feels. Haha, I'm mean.**

**Also, I'm thinking of starting a new story because I'm feeling ambitious. I have three ideas but I'm having difficulty choosing which one to do (all three will get written eventually) so I've set up a poll so you guys can vote on which one interests you the most.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a review to let me know what you think.**


	15. Begin Again

**Summary/Setting: This is going to take place not long after the miscarriage of the twins so Clint is still 27, Natasha is 27 (since her birthday is in November and this takes place in December), and Philip is still 2. It's going to take place in December, the weekend before Christmas. Clint and Natasha's sex life is strained after the miscarriage and Natasha's father can sense the tension. Mr. Romanoff orders Clint and Natasha to take the weekend to themselves and spend it at Natasha's grandparents' house in Connecticut. I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clint and Natasha sat in silence in the backseat of the cab on their ride home from work on a Thursday evening. Ever since the miscarriage, things had been strained between Clint and Natasha. Once the doctors gave the Natasha the okay to engage in intercourse, she had been adamant about it. Though the doctors reassured her that she should be okay to carry a child, she was still scared that she would miscarry again. Therefore, every time Clint touched her in a way that was much more intimate than just a hand hold, she flinched away from him.

Natasha sighed as she rested her elbow on the handle of the car door. She was glad her dad had called and said he would pick Philip up from day care. It had been a long day and all Natasha wanted to do was go home and relax. She knew that would be impossible given the fact that Philip would tackle her the moment she walked through the door but just seeing her son relaxed her.

The cab pulled up to the curb outside of their townhouse and Clint handed a couple bills to the driver and told him to keep the change. Clint followed Natasha as they slid out of the cab and walked up the front steps. Natasha fumbled with her keys as she tried to find the key to the house on her key ring. Fortunately, she found it and slid it into the lock and pushed open the door.

Clint and Natasha knew something was wrong when Philip didn't bombard them the moment they walked through the door. Normally when Natasha's father or Natasha's grandparents offered to pick Philip up from day care, they made it home before Clint and Natasha did. Therefore, Philip would always tackle them out of excitement the moment they walked through the door.

"Hello? Dad?" Natasha called out as she heard Clint closed the door behind them. Natasha strode into the living room the moment her father – with Philip in his arms – entered the living room from the kitchen.

"Hi Mama!" Philip said with a wave.

"Hi Philip," Natasha cooed as she closed the distance between her, her father, and her son. She reached out for Philip but Mr. Romanoff took a step back. Natasha shot her father a nasty look.

"Go upstairs and pack your bags. Both of you," Mr. Romanoff ordered.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Go upstairs and pack your bags for at least four days. I'll elaborate when you're done," Mr. Romanoff deadpanned.

"Can I at least hug my son? I haven't seen him since this morning," Natasha said. With a sigh, Mr. Romanoff passed Philip to Natasha and Natasha hugged Philip to her chest. "Hi, I missed you," she whispered in Philip's ear.

"I missed you too, Mama," Philip muttered. Natasha felt Philip squirm in her arms. "Hi Daddy!"

"Hey buddy," Natasha heard Clint say. "How was day care today?"

"It was good. We played Bingo but I didn't win," Philip said disappointedly.

"Aw, that's too bad," Clint said sympathetically. "Next time you'll win. I'm sure of it."

"Alright," Mr. Romanoff said suddenly as he reached his arms out to take Philip from Natasha. Reluctantly, Natasha handed him over. "Go upstairs and pack your bags. I'll explain what's going on when you're finished."

With one last look at their son, Clint and Natasha headed out of the living room and up the stairs.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Clint asked as he followed Natasha up the stairs.

"Not a clue," Natasha replied as she shook her head.

They reached their bedroom and started packing in silence. Natasha shoved a small pile of underwear and bras into her bag while Clint shoved all of their toiletries into one bag. While Natasha was finishing up packing her clothes, Clint started shoving clothes into his bag. She watched him for a couple seconds as he packed his bag. She felt bad in regards to her behavior towards him for the past couple weeks since the miscarriage. He knew she wanted another baby really badly but she just wasn't sure if she was ready or not.

When they were finished, they hoisted their bags on their shoulders and headed downstairs to meet with Natasha's father. They needed to get to the bottom of this situation. They set their bags right inside the doorway of the living room and then took a seat on the couch opposite Mr. Romanoff.

"So are you going to tell us what this is all about?" Natasha asked.

"Whatever's been going on between the two of you, I don't like it. I can practically taste the tension in the air," Mr. Romanoff said.

"What?" Natasha scoffed.

"Don't give me that," Mr. Romanoff snapped. "Even Philip knows something is going on."

Clint and Natasha turned their attention to their son, who was sitting on his grandfather's knee. "You don't love each other anymore, do you?" their son asked.

Natasha couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her throat. Had she really been that cold around Clint that even their son could notice? It broke her heart knowing that her son thought her and Clint didn't love each other anymore.

"Philip, honey, no, that's not it. We still love each other, we just…" she trailed off.

"Mommy's just still very sad from when she got sick," Clint said, filling in the blanks. When Natasha had suffered her miscarriage, they just told Philip that Natasha was sick. Explaining a miscarriage to a two-year-old would not have been an easy feat and seeing as they didn't tell him she was pregnant – they were going to wait until she started to show – it would not have made sense to explain it to him.

"Your son thinks you don't love each other anymore and I'm not amused with this tension between the two," Mr. Romanoff said. "So, you're spending the weekend at my parents' house in Connecticut. The house is all stocked with food and the sheets in the guest bedroom have been cleaned. It's just the two of you."

"What do you mean just the two of us? What about Philip?" Natasha asked, panicked.

"I will take Philip for the weekend while you two go up to Connecticut and work things out," Mr. Romanoff said. "And don't give me the excuse that you have to work tomorrow because Philip already sold you out and said that you both have off."

Clint and Natasha both turned their attention to their son and glared at him. Philip responded by grinning from ear to ear as if he was proud of himself.

"So," Mr. Romanoff said as he stood up from the couch, "you better get going. You've got a bit of a drive ahead of you." Mr. Romanoff started to head out of the room with Philip in his arms before Clint and Natasha snapped out of the trance they were in.

"Wait, aren't we allowed to say goodbye to our son?" Natasha said suddenly.

Mr. Romanoff turned around with a smirk plastered across his face. "Of course," he said and he set Philip on the floor. The two-year-old closed the distance between him and his parents and launched himself into their arms the moment he reached them.

"I hope you love each other again," Philip said, his voice muffled from being pressed up against Natasha's neck.

"Philip…" Natasha said exasperatedly but she stopped herself when she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. The fact that her son was so convinced that she and Clint didn't love each other anymore broke her heart. She bit the inside of her mouth in hopes of stopping the tears from falling.

"We'll work on it, buddy. Don't worry," Clint reassured his son. Philip pulled away from his parents and nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, you have fun with Grandpa this weekend," Natasha said.

"I will, Mommy," Philip said. With that, Philip crawled off of his parents' laps and rejoined Natasha's father in the entrance to the living room.

"You better get going," Mr. Romanoff said. He took hold of Philip's hand and grabbed a bag at the bottom of the stairs – a bag, no doubt, packed with all of Philip's clothes and toys for the weekend – and exited through the front door, leaving Clint and Natasha in the silent and empty house.

* * *

It was a long drive to New Haven, Connecticut given the fact that there was a tremendous amount of traffic, but they finally made it to Natasha's grandparents' house by nine o'clock that night. Natasha had practically been falling asleep in the passenger's seat by the time they arrived in town, but she realized she had to stay awake to point out her grandparents' house for Clint. Finding it in the dark wasn't going to be easy, and even though Natasha had only been to her grandparents' house a handful of times, she could still find it in the dark.

When she saw the house approaching on their right, she pointed to the driveway where Clint was supposed to turn in. He cut the wheel to the right and pulled into the driveway. When the car was in park and Clint cut the ignition, they got out of the car in silence. Natasha grabbed her bag from the trunk while Clint grabbed his bag and the bag full of toiletries. They headed up the walkway to the front porch and climbed the steps, each step creaking underneath their weight. Using the spare key Natasha's grandparents had given her, she unlocked the front door and it swung open with an eerie creak.

The house was many years old. It was a white Colonial home with black shutters. The floors creaked no matter how much you weighed and there was a decent sized backyard for children to play and for pets to run around.

"This place is creepy as fuck," Clint muttered as they stepped into the house. Natasha stifled a laugh as she remembered that Clint wasn't particularly fond of her grandparents' house. He had only been here once before and it was several Christmases ago when Natasha's grandparents' apartment building had suffered a gas leak the week of Christmas and they had to vacate their apartment for the entire week. Ultimately they had decided to hold Christmas at the house in New Haven. Clint didn't like the way everything went bump in the night and Natasha remembered him getting very little sleep that entire week.

"I forgot you don't like it here," Natasha said as she closed the door behind them and locked it.

"It's not so bad," Clint said. "Do you just want to go upstairs and go to bed? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Natasha said with a yawn.

Natasha fixed the strap to her bag and followed Clint up the creaky stairs to the second floor. They tip toed down the hall to the guest room. The door opened with a sickening creak and Clint flicked on the light. The room was flooded with dim light and Clint and Natasha immediately dropped their bags inside the door as they looked at the room in awe.

Scattered across the bedspread and all over the floor were red rose petals. Hooked up to the outlet that was controlled by the light switch was a strand of white twinkle lights that outlined the perimeter of the room up near the ceiling. Stationed in the middle of the bed was a note addressed to Clint and Natasha.

Clint walked over to the bed and snatched the note off of the bed. He walked back over to Natasha and stood next to her as he opened it to read it.

_Dear Clint and Natasha_, it read. _You probably hate me for doing this, but it's for the best. Your son is concerned that you don't love each other anymore ever since the miscarriage so I've taken the situation into my own hands. You need to work this out. You need to do this for your son because I can't stand to hear my grandson talking about his mom and dad the way he does. So I don't care if you play checkers all weekend or have wild, crazy sex, just work it out and love each other again. DO NOT come back to New York unless it's fixed. Love, Ivan._

Natasha rolled her eyes at her dad's note, especially when she read the part about having "wild, crazy sex." Years ago, her father didn't want to know what Clint and Natasha did in the bedroom. Now, he was practically encouraging it.

"Well, that was the highlight of my day," Clint said as he closed the note and set it on top of the dresser on his left. "Reading about your dad encouraging us to have sex," Clint said as he shook his head out of disbelief. "I never thought that would happen."

Natasha felt a smile spread across her face. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm too tired for wild, crazy sex tonight," she joked as she crouched down next to her bag and rummaging through it for a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. She heard Clint chuckle behind her and she smiled to herself. It had been a while since they'd joked around and the thought of that made Natasha sad. They needed to work this out, not just for their son, but for them.

* * *

When Natasha awoke the next morning, the other side of the bed was cold but she could hear Clint banging around in the kitchen downstairs. It relieved Natasha to know that Clint hadn't left. Things hadn't gotten that drastic between them but she just worried that he wouldn't want to be around her the entire weekend. She wanted to fix this. She was more than willing to fix this and she just hoped that Clint was feeling the same way.

Natasha's phone buzzed from the bedside table and she swiped it off the tabletop. She checked the caller ID and saw that her dad was calling her. She looked at the screen in confusion but answered it anyways.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mama!" Philip chirped from the other end.

"Hi Philip," Natasha said. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm good," Philip said. "Me and Grandpa are going to play Go Fish but he said I could call you first. I'm allowed to call you one time in the morning, and one time before I go to bed."

"Oh that's good, Philip," Natasha said as she ran her hand through her red curls. "Have you been behaving for Grandpa?"

"Mhmmm," Philip hummed in response. "Do you and Daddy love each other again?"

Natasha sighed. She didn't like that her son was so convinced that she and Clint didn't love each other anymore. She and Clint had been through much worse and they got through it. They were just going through a rough patch the moment and she knew they'd be able to work it out. "Philip, your daddy and I love each other very much. You don't need to worry about us not loving each other anymore."

"Okay Mama," Philip said. "Grandpa says I gotta go now. We're going to play Go Fish!"

"Okay Philip," Natasha sighed. "I love you, and I miss you."

"Miss you too, Mama. I love you!" Philip said from the other end before Philip disconnected the call. Natasha frowned at her phone as she realized that she didn't even get to say goodbye to him. Sure she had told him she loved him and that she missed him, but a simple goodbye was all she wanted too.

With a sigh, Natasha set her phone back down on the bedside table before rolling out of bed. She padded over to her bag in the corner of the room and pulled out a sweatshirt. Despite the heat being cranked up, Natasha was freezing, though it didn't help that she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

She pulled on her sweatshirt as she made her way down the hall and down the stairs. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear the sizzle of the frying pan as Clint was most likely cooking either bacon or eggs, or maybe even both. The moment she set foot in the kitchen, the smell of eggs and bacon assaulted her senses. Suddenly, she was very hungry.

"What's for breakfast?" Natasha asked.

The pan banged against the stovetop as Clint jumped at the sound of her voice. He turned around and stared at her with wide eyes. "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me," he gasped.

"This house really does put you on edge, doesn't it?" she asked as she walked across the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. She prepared her coffee just the way she liked it before taking a sip and moaning with delight. Natasha turned back around to face Clint, but he was focused on cooking breakfast. She leaned against the counter with the mug of coffee in her hand. "So, I just got off the phone with Philip."

"Oh yeah?" Clint said, his attention still focused on cooking breakfast. "What was he up to?"

"He said he and my dad were going to play Go Fish," Natasha said. "He's allowed to call us once in the morning and once at night before he goes to bed."

"Well, that's good," Clint said as he turned around with the pan of bacon in his hand. "We both know you would've never been able to survive the whole weekend without talking to him."

"Yeah," Natasha agreed. She couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Philip on the phone. _Do you and Daddy love each other again?_ Philip's voice echoed in her head. She still couldn't believe how out of control this had gotten.

"Nat, are you okay? What's wrong?" Clint said.

Natasha hadn't even realized she was crying until Clint asked her what was wrong. She set her mug of coffee on the counter behind her and buried her face in her hands. "How did this get so bad?" she cried.

"No Nat, stop," Clint said as he set the pan on the counter and wrapped his arms around her.

"Our son thinks we don't love each other anymore. I've been pushing you away because I'm uncomfortable with being intimate and you're trying so hard," she cried as she leaned into his chest.

"Nat, you have every right to act the way you've been acting."

"No I don't," she wailed.

"Nat, please calm down," Clint said as he pulled her away from him and held her by the shoulders so that they were face-to-face. "We're going to fix this, okay? We're going to have breakfast. Maybe we'll go into town and shop a bit then have lunch at a nice café. We'll come back and watch a movie and eat dinner. And sometime throughout the day we'll piece everything back together."

"You have this whole day planned out, don't you?" she asked as she wiped the tears away from her face.

"Actually, I just pulled that out of my ass," Clint said, garnering a nervous laugh from Natasha. "We're going to be okay. Stop worrying about our son. He's very perceptive but he's also very caring. He just cares about us."

Natasha could feel more tears trying to escape but she bit the inside of her mouth.

"So we're going to eat our breakfast and then get ready for a day of doing mindless activities, okay?" Clint said and Natasha nodded her head. "Alright," Clint said as he turned back to the pan of bacon. "Breakfast is served."

* * *

When Natasha awoke on Saturday morning, Clint's side of the bed was empty and cold. Nervous that Clint may have left, Natasha intently listened for any sounds coming from downstairs. She could hear the faint sound of the TV coming from downstairs and she breathed a sigh of relief.

As Natasha rolled out of bed, she realized how ridiculous it was that she would think Clint would leave her. She had been cold and distant for pretty much the past month, so she wouldn't blame Clint for being cold and distant as well. But Clint leaving her was pretty much the most ridiculous thing she'd ever thought of.

Natasha grabbed her sweatshirt on her way out the door and pulled it on as she headed downstairs. When she stepped foot in the living room, she saw Clint sprawled out on the couch, watching The Weather Channel.

"Morning," she mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from one of her eyes.

"Hey, morning Tasha, there's a fresh pot of coffee on the burner," Clint said pointing in the direction of the kitchen. Natasha nodded and padded into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. She poured some milk into her mug and stirred it around before joining Clint in the living room.

"_New Haven can expect up to two feet of snow between early Saturday afternoon and Sunday night_," the meteorologist on the TV announced.

"Clint, today's Saturday," Natasha said suddenly.

"Duh, Captain Obvious," Clint replied before turning to her and flashing a smirk. Natasha grabbed one of the pillows from the armchair she was sitting in and chucked it at Clint.

"I mean, how are we going to get back if New Haven is expecting two feet of snow. We're not allowed to leave until we've worked this out," Natasha said.

"Then we leave when we either work this out or can dig ourselves out," Clint said.

"What about work on Monday? What about Philip?"

"I think our supervisor would understand our situation."

"And Philip?"

"You've got me on that one," Clint said, hanging his head in defeat.

"Well, since we're going to be stuck here, we're going to have to stock up," Natasha said as she leaned back in the armchair.

"There's probably nothing left at the stores, Nat," Clint said.

"Well then, we're going to the liquor store because clearly it's the end of the world," Natasha said sarcastically.

Clint chuckled. "Alright," he said as he leaned forward to snatch the remote from the coffee table and turn off the TV, "let's get ready then."

* * *

Clint and Natasha made it back to her grandparents' house mere minutes before it started to snow. The grocery store had been absolute chaos. There were very limited supplies left and Clint and Natasha grabbed what they could get. When they had checked out their items from the grocery store, they walked down the block to the liquor store. They didn't have much luck there either for a lot of people had the same idea as Clint and Natasha. They veered off into different aisles as they grabbed what they could. Grabbing a cheap bottle of vodka and a bottle of French wine, Natasha met Clint at the register, who had grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels.

The moment they pulled into the driveway, the first snowflake hit the windshield and Natasha and Clint rushed to take the groceries into the house. By the time they had brought all of their belongings into the house and settled down, it had begun to snow pretty heavily. When night fell, Clint and Natasha could barely see out the kitchen window. The snow was coming down so heavily that they could barely see two feet from the window.

It was about six o'clock when Clint and Natasha cracked open the bottles of alcohol and began to casually drink. They sat on the floor of the living room, staring into the fireplace. They were sitting opposite from each other. Natasha had her back resting against one of the armchairs while Clint was sitting with his back resting against the other.

"When was the last time we actually just sat around and drank?" Clint asked as he took a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle.

"Don't know," Natasha said as she situated the bottle of vodka between her legs. "It was probably before Philip was born."

"Ah," was all Clint said. "Speaking of Philip, what time is it? Shouldn't he be calling soon?"

Natasha reached behind her to grab her phone off of the seat of the armchair and she pressed a button to light up the screen. "It's 7:43. He should be going to bed in about fifteen minutes."

"Have we seriously been sitting here for almost two hours just drinking? Shit, I'm surprised I'm still sober," Clint said as he shook his head.

"You've built up immunity over the years, love," Natasha said as she took a swig of vodka straight from the bottle.

Clint shook his head. "Did you just call me _love_?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"It's just…you haven't called me that since before the…well, the you-know-what," Clint said uneasily.

Natasha shrugged. "Oh, well, I guess it just slipped out."

Clint looked at Natasha in the light from the fire. The flames made it seem as if her red hair was on fire. If things hadn't been so strained and tense between them, he would've kissed her right then and there and he would not have stopped.

"Are we going to talk about this, Nat?" Clint asked.

Natasha ran a hand through her red curls and sighed. "I guess we have to."

"Talk to me, Tasha. Let me in," Clint said as he crawled across the floor to kneel right in front of her. He had tried many times before to get her to open up to him but to no avail. He just hoped that tonight was the night she let it all out. He knew she was suffering from the miscarriage, but he wanted to know why she was so scared. It wasn't like her to not open up to him for this long.

"I'm just scared I'll miscarry again. That's all," she whispered as she cast her eyes downward to stare at the bottle of vodka in her lap.

"Tasha, we went over this with the doctors. They said you'll be fine," Clint said comfortingly. "They said it most likely happened because it was twins, combined with your condition from when you were pregnant with Philip."

"But what if we try again and it doesn't work? What if I…miscarry again?" she asked uneasily, practically choking out the word "miscarry."

"Then we try again," Clint said. "If after a couple more attempts it doesn't work, then we give up. To tell you the truth, Nat, we have a beautiful two-year-old boy at home that loves us very much and that's all I could ever ask for, in all honesty."

"But I want another one so badly, Clint," Natasha said, lifting her head to look Clint in the eye. Clint could see that her eyes were glassy and the rims of her eyes were red. "I love being a mom, Clint. You know I was scared to become one, but I love it so much."

"Tasha," he said softly as he reached out to cradle her face in his hands. He expected her to flinch away from him like she had done in the past but she didn't. "Please listen to me when I say that I will back you up 135 percent. Just please don't keep pushing me away."

Natasha took a deep breath to control the tears before looking Clint in the eye. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay, Nat. I forgive you. I'll always forgive you," Clint responded.

Natasha offered up a weak smile as she stared into Clint's eyes before slowly raising herself up to kiss him. She felt one of his arms snake around her waist while the other stayed raised so his hand could cup the side of her face.

Just as Natasha was raising her hands to cup Clint's face, she heard her phone ring from the armchair behind her. "That's Philip," she said, turning away from Clint.

"Let it go to voicemail," Clint said as he kissed her neck.

"Clint…"

"Nat," Clint said suddenly as he stopped kissing her. Natasha turned to face him and she was greeted with a serious expression displayed across his face. "You, my wife, have not kissed me like that in almost a month. Our son is not going to bed without talking to us so I think he can withstand another hour. So put your phone on silent and fucking kiss me."

Natasha nodded as she reached behind her and flipped the switch on the side of her phone to turn off the ringer. She turned back to Clint and attacked his lips with hers. She felt Clint start to fall backwards and they both ended up lying on the floor. Little by little, the kiss became more heated and one by one, their clothes ended up in a pile in the corner of the living room. Things were back to normal.

* * *

Natasha lied on her stomach on the living room floor with a pillow pressed up against her chest and a blanket draped across her bare backside. Clint laid next to her underneath the blanket on the floor as he continuously trailed kisses down her bare shoulder.

"Clint, stop. We have to call Philip," Natasha said with her phone in her hand.

"Fine," Clint griped. "Call him."

Natasha searched her contacts for her father's phone number and tapped his number on the screen to call him. Natasha put the phone on speaker so both she and Clint could talk to Philip and they waited for him to answer. The phone rang twice before they were greeted with the cheerful voice of their two-year-old son.

"Hi Mama!" Philip said from the other end.

"Hi Philip," Natasha greeted her son. "Sorry we didn't answer the phone. The service up here is really bad because of the snow."

"We?" Philip asked.

"Yeah, hi buddy!" Clint shouted into the phone.

"Hi Daddy!" Philip said from the other end cheerfully. "Do you love each other again?"

Natasha could almost feel the tears stinging her eyes. It still hurt that her son thought they didn't love each other. Natasha felt Clint kiss her shoulder and she looked over to find him resting his chin there.

"Hey buddy, I'll always love your mommy and your mommy will always love me. Mommy was just very sad, but she's happy now," Clint explained to their two-year-old.

"Yay!" Philip cheered. "Are you coming home tomorrow?"

"It doesn't look like that will happen, Philip," Natasha said. "It's snowing pretty hard up here."

"But I want you to come home," Philip said, the sadness obvious in his voice.

"We'll be home before you know it, buddy," Clint said. "In the meantime, you can call us anytime you want, okay?"

"Okay Daddy!" Philip exclaimed.

"Okay, now I think it's your bedtime, Philip," Natasha said. "But before you hang up, give the phone to Grandpa, okay?"

"Okay Mama."

"Philip, I love you," Natasha said. "And I miss you."

"Love you too, Mommy. I miss you too," Philip said. "And I miss you and love you too, Daddy!"

"Miss you and love you too, buddy. Now hand the phone to Grandpa, okay?" Clint said.

There was some static as Philip handed the phone back to Natasha's father. They heard him adjust the phone before answering it.

"Hey Dad, I don't think we'll be able to make it back tomorrow night so can you take care of Philip for a couple more days?" Natasha asked.

"Of course, and I'm assuming you two worked things out," Mr. Romanoff inquired.

"Yeah, everything's back to normal," Natasha said as Clint started to bite her ear. She swatted him away only for him to start up again seconds later. "And by the way, you're going to need to tell Nana and Pop Pop that they need to burn the armchair pillows and their red throw blanket and definitely the rug in the living room."

"Oh Jesus Christ Natasha!" Mr. Romanoff exclaimed.

"Sorry, but you're the one who suggested it," Natasha said. She tried to stifle a giggle as Clint nuzzled her neck. "Okay, that's it. Got to go. Bye!" She hung up the phone and tossed it across the room just in time for Clint to roll her over and attack her lips with his. She giggled as she felt some serious butterflies in her stomach. It had been a while since she had this feeling and now that everything was back to normal, she couldn't be any happier that those butterflies were back.

* * *

**Angsty enough for you guys? Remember, if you want to read about something with Clint and Natasha, leave your prompt in a review or inbox me.**

**There's still time for you to vote which story I write next! I don't think I'm going to take it down until Friday so if you haven't voted yet and you would like to, you still have time!**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	16. Paris When It Sizzles

**I'm supposed to be studying for my French exam tomorrow, but I wrote this instead. I think this could count as studying for it haha.**

**Setting/Summary:** **This starts out on Mother's Day but it ends up taking place in – you guessed it – Paris. Clint surprises Natasha with plane tickets to Paris on Mother's Day for their anniversary later in the summer. Clint is 28, Natasha is 27, and Philip is 3. Clint and Natasha will be celebrating their 8****year wedding anniversary when they go to Paris.**

* * *

When Natasha woke up, Clint's side of the bed was empty and she immediately sat upright, furrowing her brow in confusion. It wasn't like Clint to be awake before her so she was especially confused as to what was going on. That's when Natasha realized what today was and she couldn't believe that she had actually forgotten.

Today was Mother's Day, quite possibly Natasha's favorite holiday ever since becoming a mom. Sure she liked seeing the look on her son's face Christmas morning when he caught sight of the presents under the Christmas tree and she liked watching him search for Easter eggs on Easter, but nothing compared to spending time with her son on Mother's Day. The day might be about her, but she always made it about Philip.

She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and quickly burrowed underneath the covers. She smiled as she heard the door swing open and Clint whispering to Philip.

"Okay, quietly buddy, go over to her side of the bed and wake her up."

"Okay Daddy," Natasha heard Philip say a little louder than necessary. She heard his tiny feet pad across the room and then she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Mama, wake up."

Feigning having just woken up, she smiled at Philip. "Hi, good morning," she said to Philip.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mommy," Philip said as he produced a small bouquet of roses from behind his back. Natasha felt her smile grow ten times larger as she sat up and reached out to lift Philip onto the bed.

She took the flowers from him once he was seated in her lap and she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. They're beautiful, Philip."

"Me and Daddy made you breakfast. Daddy let me put the chocolate chips in your pancakes," Philip announced as Clint crawled onto the bed and presented Natasha with a tray full of food.

"Philip, it looks delicious," Natasha said. She felt Clint kiss the top of her head and she turned to face him. "Thank you," she whispered to Clint. With a smile, Clint leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips before sitting down next to her and Philip.

Natasha cut up her pancakes and let Philip have the first bite to let her know how good they tasted. "They're awesome, Mama! Daddy's a good cook," Philip said with his mouth full.

Natasha savored her chocolate chip pancakes and crisp bacon, occasionally letting Philip or Clint take a bite. When she had finished, she washed it down with the small glass of orange juice and then grabbed the cup of coffee to wake her up. As she took a sip of her coffee, she saw Clint whisper in Philip's ear out of the corner of her eye. Philip nodded to Clint before scrambling out of the bed and scampering out of the room.

"Where's he going?" Natasha asked.

"He'll be right back," Clint said.

Moments later, Philip reappeared in Clint and Natasha's bedroom with his hands hidden behind his back. "Mama, close your eyes. Don't look," Philip said sheepishly from the doorway.

Natasha giggled as she covered her eyes with both of her hands. She heard Philip pad across the room and whisper to Clint. A couple seconds later, she felt Philip bouncing on the bed before plopping down next to Natasha.

"Okay Mommy, open your eyes," Philip said. Natasha removed her hands from her eyes to find Philip holding a small blue box, a Tiffany's box. "Daddy said it's your favorite, but I picked it out."

Natasha shot Clint a look. "Clint…" she said.

"Just open it, Tasha," Clint said as he rolled his eyes.

Natasha took the small box from Philip and she carefully took the lid off. She pulled out the blue pouch, opened it, and turned it upside down to pour its contents into her hand. Out tumbled a sterling silver necklace with two interlocking rings with the iconic Tiffany's logo inscribed on them.

"Isn't it pretty, Mommy?" Philip asked.

"You picked this out all by yourself?" Natasha asked. Philip nodded his head with a grin. Natasha leaned over and kissed her son on the forehead. "I love it. Thank you, Philip. It's beautiful."

"There's one more thing," Clint said, producing a white envelope from behind his back. "It's nothing major, just a little something from me."

"Clint…"

"No," Clint said firmly. "Open it."

Natasha rolled her eyes but tore at the flap of the envelope. She pulled out the card stock – which was blank and Natasha found that to be very strange – and opened the flap. Just as she was taking a sip of coffee, she caught sight of the two plane tickets. Choking on her coffee as it slid down her throat, she coughed to clear her airways.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Philip asked nervously.

"I'm fine, Philip," Natasha wheezed once her airways were cleared. She turned to Clint, who had a smirk plastered across his face. "Paris, Clint?"

"Paris," he said in agreement, nodding his head.

"Paris?" Philip asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Yeah buddy," Clint said as he picked up Philip and set him in his lap. "It's in Europe, which is all the way on the other side of the ocean. I promised your mommy years ago that I would take her there, and I'm going to take her there the week of our anniversary."

"I'm not coming?" Philip asked disappointedly.

"No, sorry, you're a little too young yet," Clint said. "But, Nana and Poppy have agreed to watch you for the whole week."

Philip gasped. "I'm going to start packing!" Philip scrambled out of Clint's lap and jumped off the bed.

"Hey, it's not for another month, kiddo," Clint shouted after his son, who was already in the hallway on his way to his bedroom.

"I gotta start now!" Philip called back.

Clint chuckled as he shook his head. He turned his attention back to Natasha, who still had the look of shock displayed across her face.

"Don't look so surprised, Nat. I told I'd take you Paris, and I'm keeping that promise," Clint said.

"I know," Natasha said. "That's just quite a surprise to receive at nine o'clock in the morning."

"As long as you were surprised, that's all that matters," Clint said as he placed a kiss on her temple.

"Mhmmm," Natasha hummed. "I just feel bad that we have to leave Philip at home."

"He'll be fine. My parents will keep him entertained. He'll forget about us in ten minutes," Clint said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That doesn't make me feel better at all," Natasha grumbled.

"Nat," Clint said softly. "At least tell me you're excited to go so I know that my gift isn't going to go to waste."

Natasha looked at the hurt expression on Clint's face and realized how rude her reaction must've seemed to him. Of course she loved his gift. She was beyond thrilled that they were going to Paris, but it had caught her off guard and she didn't like that Philip wasn't going with them.

"_Bien sûr, mon amour. Je l'aime_," Natasha purred in perfect French diction as she leaned over to kiss Clint on the lips but stopped just before she reached them.

"Mmmm, _je t'aime mon chérie_," Clint hummed as he leaned in to close the distance between his lips and Natasha's.

* * *

Clint and Natasha sat al fresco at Les Deux Magots as they sipped on cappuccinos and ate ice cream. It was a beautiful day in Paris, but in the sun, it was uncomfortably hot. Fortunately, Clint and Natasha were seated at a table with an umbrella so they were shielded from the sun's rays.

Clint and Natasha had spent the better part of their day walking around Paris visiting famous landmarks and strolling through the parks. They visited the Galeries Lafayette and did some shopping, picking up a couple souvenirs to take back to Philip.

When they finished their cappuccinos and ice cream, they politely asked their server for their check, paid it, and headed back to their hotel by foot. They had spent their entire day walking around Paris visiting famous landmarks and yet they still managed to have enough energy to walk back to their hotel.

Natasha had been lagging behind as they walked back to their hotel because she had been so captivated by the shops they passed by. Each shop they walked by, her eyes lingered on the display window for a couple seconds before getting pulled forward by the hand by Clint. She was partially so involved in looking in the shop windows because she wanted to bring as much stuff back for Philip. If he couldn't be here, then she was going to bring a little bit of Paris home for him.

However, the next shop that Natasha had been so interested in made her stop dead in her tracks. Clint tugged on her hand impatiently to get her to move along, but she didn't budge.

"Nat, come on. I'm exhausted," Clint said as he stood next to her in front of the display window. That's when he saw what she was so captivated by. There were two mannequins in the window outfitted with two wedding dresses. The mannequin on the left wore a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice was intricately beaded while the skirt cascaded to the floor in soft pleats, the hem just barely skimming the floor. The mannequin on the right was wearing a dress with somewhat thick straps and a bodice in which the expensive fabric overlapped. The skirt was layers upon layers of chiffon with a thigh high slit and a slight train.

"I wish my dress looked as pretty as those," Natasha mumbled.

"Nat," Clint said. "You looked beyond beautiful in your dress."

"Mmmm, but seeing these makes me wish I had a different dress," Natasha said sheepishly.

"Your dress was fine," Clint sighed.

"But they're just so pretty, Clint," Natasha sighed as she slipped her hand into his and rested her head on his shoulder. "I like the one on the right."

As they stood there and marveled at the wedding dresses in the window, Clint suddenly got an idea. In just two more years, they would be celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary. Of course he'd want to surprise her with something special, but as he stared at the wedding dresses with her, he realized this couldn't wait. There was no telling when they'd be able to make it back to Paris or if they would ever make it back to Paris, so he had to put his plan into action while they were there.

"Come on, Nat," Clint said as he unlaced his fingers from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go. We'll stop by that patisserie that you've been so interested in for the past two days to get you some macarons."

With one last glance at the shop with the wedding dresses, she let Clint guide her down the sidewalk as they headed back to their hotel. But first, to snack on some macarons.

* * *

Ever since Natasha had stopped at the dress shop to admire the wedding dresses, Clint's behavior had become awfully suspicious. Natasha would hear him get up early in the morning, slip out of the room, and return a couple hours later when Natasha finally managed to get out of bed. She was always angry that he would never tell her where he went but Natasha figured that she shouldn't push it. Plus, how could she be angry with him when he would always bring her back crêpes for breakfast.

It was their last full day in Paris, as well as their anniversary, when Clint walked through the door with a bagful of macarons and a box of crêpes. Natasha had been sitting on the bed, talking on the phone with Philip. They were six hours apart and Philip was so desperate to talk to his parents that he was willing to get up early to do so.

"Oh, hang on Philip, let me put you on speaker. Daddy just walked through the door," Natasha said. She took the phone away from her ear and pressed a button to put it on speaker.

"Hey buddy!" Clint said as he crawled onto the bed next to Natasha.

"Hi Daddy!" Philip exclaimed.

"Are you excited for us to come home tomorrow?" Clint asked.

"Mhmmm!" Philip hummed. "Did you get me anything?"

"Of course!" Clint responded.

"Yay!" Philip shouted into the phone excitedly. "I can't wait!"

Natasha giggled at her son's ridiculous behavior. "I can't wait to see you Philip. I miss you so much."

"I miss you too, Mama," Philip said.

"Alright buddy, we've got to go. I'm going to take your mommy on a little adventure today," Clint said.

"Okay Daddy!" Philip exclaimed. "Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!"

They bid goodbye to Philip and Natasha hung up the phone, setting it on top of the bed covers. She turned towards Clint and arched one of her eyebrows in contempt. "So, a little adventure today?"

"Shut up and eat your crêpes," Clint said teasingly as he passed her the box full of the French pastry. "Then when you're done, get dressed because there's still so much of Paris we haven't seen."

* * *

Clint and Natasha had spent the majority of their trip marveling over the famous landmarks that they would lose track of time. Therefore, they hadn't necessarily managed to get to see all of the famous landmarks that they wanted to see or visit. However, there was one landmark that they had made a promise to save for last and that was the Eiffel Tower.

Clint and Natasha passed the time on their last day strolling up and down the Champs Elysées and lounging in the Jardin du Luxembourg. When the sun started to set, Clint and Natasha decided it was the perfect time to make their way over to the Eiffel Tower and get in line to ride up to the top.

Natasha was nervous about riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had heard stories about the tower swaying back and forth when it got slightly breezy outside. Natasha had never really been fond of heights but for some reason, Clint loved them. He said it was something about the adrenaline rush of looking down that he really liked.

When they finally got to the front of the line after standing there for almost an hour, they loaded onto the completely transparent elevator and it started its ascent. Natasha immediately grew nervous and closed her eyes so she didn't see solid ground disappearing from under her feet. Comfortingly, Clint wrapped his arms around Natasha and she relaxed a little bit. As long as Clint was there, she felt safe.

The elevator came to a halt as it stopped on the first level. Clint and Natasha followed the crowd to the second elevator that would take them to the very top of the tower. They loaded onto the clear elevator and Natasha immediately closed her eyes again to avoid seeing how high they were going. She felt the elevator give a sickening lurch when they arrived at the top and Natasha whimpered out of fear. She felt Clint gently grab her hand and lead her out of the elevator when a sudden pang of fear hit her square in the chest. She tugged on Clint's hand as she stopped dead in her tracks with her eyes still shut.

"This was a bad idea," she whimpered. "Let's go back down."

"Nat, come on. I promise I won't let anything happen to you," Clint said.

"Fine, but I'm not opening my eyes," Natasha grumbled as Clint pulled her forward. Clint had let go of her hand for a second and she felt fear strike her square in the chest. But seconds later, his arms wrapped around her from behind and she relaxed a little easier.

"Tasha, open your eyes," Clint whispered in her ear.

"No," Natasha said bluntly.

"Just open them and look straight ahead. Don't look down."

"Well that's stupid, Clint. Tell someone to not look down and they're going to look down," Natasha griped.

"Just open your eyes, Nat," Clint pleaded.

Even though she was so incredibly afraid, she did it anyways. She did it for Clint. So slowly she opened her eyes and saw the cityscape of Paris at twilight in front of her. Her jaw dropped as she saw the twinkling lights of the city against the dark blue sky. She had been stupid to think that a sight like this would scare her.

"Whoa," she muttered.

"See what you were missing?" Clint whispered in her ear.

"It's beautiful," Natasha said.

"Hmmm, not as beautiful as you are," Clint said.

"We may be in the most romantic city on the face on the planet, but don't go all soft on me like you did in high school," she said teasingly.

"Too late, Nat."

Natasha furrowed her brow in confusion as she turned her head to face Clint. For a split second, she felt his arms unwrap from her body, but only so he could stand next to her. Natasha got a good look at him and noticed that familiar look in his eye, the look that meant he had something up his sleeve.

"Natasha Alianovna Barton," Clint started. "I have loved you since the day I met you and I've been married to you for eight years. We've had our ups and downs and we've been through so much together.

"You're probably wondering where I've been going early in the morning all this week," he said before taking a deep breath. "I was going to wait another two years to ask, when we celebrate our ten year anniversary, but I thought the setting was appropriate so I'm just going to do it now."

Clint reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a blue Tiffany's box, as per usual, and opened the lid to reveal a stunning single diamond perched atop a band that had more diamonds embedded in it. He got down on one knee in front of Natasha and her jaw dropped.

"I know this is such a cliché. Tom Cruise did it when he proposed to Katie Holmes - ."

"Yeah, and look how that marriage turned out," Natasha joked.

Clint chuckled. "Anyways, this is such a cliché, but we're already married so I don't think it counts. But Natasha Alianovna Barton, would you marry me again on our ten year anniversary?"

Natasha giggled at how ridiculous it sounded. Agree to marry him again, but don't get married to him again until their ten year anniversary. It was such a Clint thing to do, and that's why she had to say yes.

"Of course, Clint," she said as a gigantic smile spread across her face.

"Okay," Clint said as he stood up, "but there's something we have to do first."

"What? Tell Philip?" Natasha asked.

"No, well, yes, but..." Clint trailed off. He gently took her ring hand into his own and then his gaze locked onto hers. He stared into her eyes, her beautiful green eyes that are the first things he sees when he wakes up in the morning and the last things he sees before he goes to sleep. "We have to try to have another baby, Nat. We've been so busy for the past several months with work and with Philip that we haven't had a chance to try. But we're here in Paris and it's our last night so we need to give it a chance.

"I want us to be a real family. I want us to have another baby. I want Philip to have a little brother or sister. Actually, to tell you the truth, I want a girl so badly because I want to fall in love with you all over again. She'd be just like you, just like Philip is just like me."

"We can't choose if we want a boy or a girl, Clint," Natasha said disappointedly. When she was pregnant with Philip, she had secretly been hoping for a girl. She was disappointed at first that she was having a boy, but when she realized he would be exactly like Clint, she was okay with it. If they tried to have another baby and it actually happened, she didn't want to get their hopes up that it would be a girl.

"I have a good feeling we'll have a girl," Clint said as he rested his forehead against Natasha's. Natasha wanted this. She wanted another baby but the fact that Clint was practically asking her in public if they could go back to their hotel and have sex made her want to burst out laughing. He was subtle about it, but if anyone was listening, they would know what he was talking about.

But Clint wanted this just as much as she did and it had her completely convinced. "Okay, but just one question," she said.

"Anything, Nat."

"Do I get the ring now or in two years?" she asked with a smirk.

Clint chuckled. "You can have it now, Tasha," he said as he pulled the ring out of the box but then stopped when he realized he couldn't put it on her left ring finger because it was already full with her current wedding rings. "Umm, where do you want it to go?"

Natasha reached her hands up and unclasped the necklace Philip had gotten her for Mother's Day. She took the ring from Clint and threaded the chain of the necklace through the ring before securing the necklace around her neck again. "It's not really the most convenient way to wear a ring, but it'll do," she said as she touched the chain of the necklace.

"Works for me," Clint said as he shrugged his shoulders. Natasha giggled at Clint's reaction and he slowly leaned in to kiss her. Sure it was a cliché to kiss atop the Eiffel Tower, but Clint and Natasha never really cared about clichés. They did what they wanted because they loved each other. And that was all that ever mattered.

* * *

**Think they'll be able to have another baby? Let's hope so! Remember, if you want to read something about Clint and Natasha, leave your prompt/idea in a review or inbox me.**

**If you haven't already and would like to, you can still vote on which story I write next. I won't take it down until Friday. Good news is that I'm going home this weekend so I'll be able to get some major writing done. So get your votes in if you haven't already and would like to.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	17. They Call Me

**Setting/Summary: About a month after their trip to Paris, Clint and Natasha find out they're having another baby. Hooray! Clint is 28, Natasha is 27, and Philip is 3. (We're going to say Philip's birthday is in April just for reference.) So here we go, baby number 2! Part 1 of 2. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Don't stay in here while I'm peeing on it!" Natasha exclaimed when Clint wouldn't leave the bathroom.

"What? Why not?" Clint asked. "I'm just so excited, Nat!"

"Don't get your hopes up. It could still come out negative," Natasha said as she ripped the wrapping off of the pregnancy test with her teeth.

"Tasha, you're over a week late. I'm pretty sure you're pregnant," Clint said matter-of-factly.

"Just…don't jinx it. Now, go!" she demanded, shooing him out of the bathroom.

Clint rolled his eyes as he backed out of the bathroom, shutting the door on his way out. When the door was completely shut, Natasha sat down on the toilet and peed on the pregnancy test. When she was finished, she put the cap on the end of the stick, washed her hands, and then walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. Clint was lying on his back on top of the bed, bouncing his leg up and down. Natasha collapsed on top of the bed next to him and sighed.

"What does it say?" Clint asked as he sat bolt upright. "Are you pregnant?"

"Clint, calm down. We have to wait a couple minutes," Natasha said exasperatedly. "God, you're so impatient."

"Nope, just excited," he said with a grin as he lowered himself down to kiss her. Natasha smiled into the kiss and she let the pregnancy test drop to the floor as she brought her hands up to touch his face.

"I sure hope you washed your hands," Clint teased in between kisses.

"Don't be an ass. Of course I did," she said with a slight giggle. They kissed for a couple more minutes before Natasha broke it off to retrieve the pregnancy test from the floor. Clint and Natasha straightened themselves out and positioned themselves on the edge of the bed. They held their breaths as they checked the test.

"Nat…"

Natasha felt her jaw drop as she stared at the test. "I'm…" she trailed off.

"You're pregnant," Clint whispered in her ear. "We're pregnant," he said a little more enthusiastically as he pulled her backwards onto the bed. "It's going to be a girl. I just know it."

"Clint, stop it," Natasha sighed. "You'll get our hopes up. You'll jinx it."

"No, _you_ stop it. I have a really good feeling about this."

Clint kissed the top of her head as Natasha rolled her eyes. "What are you, four-years-old?"

"No," he said as he stuck his tongue out at her. "I know we're not going to tell Philip until you're showing but I can't wait 'til he gets home to just spend time with him." Natasha and Clint had asked Natasha's father to get Philip out of the house while Natasha took the pregnancy test. If it had come out negative, they would have wanted a couple hours to themselves to deal with the disappointment. But now that it came out positive, they couldn't wait for their son to come home just so they could have him in their arms.

"Mmmm," she hummed as she curled up against Clint's side and laid a hand on his chest. "How do you think he'll take it when we finally tell him?"

"Our kid loves everyone he meets. I don't think a baby brother or sister will be an exception," Clint said.

"Are you sure? I heard your brother wasn't too fond of you when you were born," Natasha said teasingly.

"Where did you hear that? Who told you that?" Clint asked.

"Take a guess," Natasha said.

"Barney," Clint growled.

Natasha giggled as she twisted her body so that she was propped up on her elbow but she could face Clint. "You really think he'll be okay with this?" Natasha asked.

"Well, he has to be because we're having this baby whether he likes it or not," Clint said.

Natasha giggled again. "I'm excited, Clint," she said as she bit her lower lip. "I'm excited, and I'm scared, and I'm happy, and…just all kinds of emotions right now."

"That's probably the hormones talking," Clint joked and Natasha smacked him on the chest before resting her head on top of it. Clint weaved his fingers through her red curls and she sighed. "I love you so much right now, Nat."

"I love you too, Clint."

* * *

_First Trimester, 11 weeks_

Once the pregnancy was confirmed with a visit to the doctor's office, Clint and Natasha decided it was best to wait to tell their family and friends until Natasha had finished her first trimester. The greatest risk for a miscarriage was usually during the first trimester and Clint and Natasha didn't want to get their family members' hopes up again. During the last pregnancy, everyone had been excited when Natasha and Clint told them, and they had been just as devastated when Natasha miscarried.

However, Natasha couldn't keep it a secret any longer when their friends came to visit one day. It hadn't necessarily been the way she wanted to tell them but given the circumstances she couldn't hold it in any longer.

It had been a cool fall day at the end of September when Thor, Steve, Peggy, and Jane had come to visit. They had been sitting on the patio out back while Philip was at pre-school. They were sipping on hot chocolate while they snacked on crackers and cookies while they caught up with one another.

"Hey, I'd hate to get all serious and sappy with you guys but Steve and I have something we'd like to say," Peggy said suddenly.

Silence fell among the group of friends as they turned their attention to Steve and Peggy. Peggy was holding onto Steve's hand for dear life as a huge smile spread across her face. "I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed.

Natasha's jaw dropped as she turned to face Clint. He had just about the same reaction on his face that Natasha no doubt had. Peggy and Steve had been married for almost five years so Clint and Natasha figured it was about time they finally had kids. But the fact that she was pregnant with her first child at the same time that Natasha was pregnant with her second was absolutely uncanny.

"Oh my God Peggy! Steve! Congratulations!" Jane squealed. "We can have play dates!"

Everyone looked at Jane with a look of confusion then that's when it clicked. "Jane, are you…are you too?" Natasha asked uneasily.

With a huge smile on her face, she nodded her head excitedly. "That's not exactly how we wanted to tell you guys but we figured if Peggy was mentioning it, we might as well too," Jane said as Thor pressed a kiss to her temple.

Thor and Jane had gotten married in secret after Jane graduated college and got a job at a high-paying law firm in Boston. Thor had agreed to move to Boston to be with her as long as she agreed to marry him. Jane said yes and the rest was history.

"Oh my God, this is amazing! And Philip will be great with them, won't he?" Peggy said as she turned her attention to Natasha. Natasha still couldn't believe what was going on. Her two best friends from high school were pregnant at the same time as she was. Her son or daughter was going to have friends the moment they were born.

"Natasha, are you okay?" Natasha heard Peggy ask.

Natasha shook her head to pull herself out of her thoughts. "Oh yeah, umm, this is great."

"It's exciting!" Peggy exclaimed. "I've always been so jealous of you two because you have Philip."

Natasha took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what she was going to say. She wasn't going to consult Clint on this because he knew he'd support her on this. She was almost finished with her first trimester anyways.

"Yeah well, you're going to be jealous of me even more because I'm pregnant. Again," Natasha said.

"What?"

"Oh my God!"

"You fertile bastards!"

"Celebrations are in order!"

"We weren't going to say anything," Clint said the moment their friends calmed down, "but everyone started confessing. We just didn't want to get anyone's hopes up because of last time."

"So how far along are you then, Natasha?" Peggy asked eagerly.

"I'm almost done with the first trimester," Natasha said.

"Ugh, lucky you, I have about another month," Peggy sighed.

"Same here," Jane agreed.

"This is so strange," Natasha breathed. "Are we seriously all having kids at the same time?"

"Looks like it," Steve said.

Natasha couldn't believe this was happening. She had always wondered how she and Clint had ended up being the ones to have a baby first when their friends had been together just as long as they had. Now that they were all having children at the same time, she was absolutely thrilled. She couldn't have asked for better friends, a better son, or a better husband.

* * *

_Second Trimester, 14 weeks_

When Natasha entered her second trimester, that's when they spilled the beans to the rest of their family members and friends that they were expecting. Clint's parents were absolutely thrilled. Natasha's father was a little adamant about it. He had a hard time accepting that his one and only child was all grown up. But it didn't change the way he felt about having grandchildren because he absolutely loved being a grandfather.

However, the real task was how to explain it to Philip. Their son was three-years-old and he would no doubt ask tons of questions, particularly the "where do babies come from" question. While they contemplated as to how they were going to tell Philip, Natasha had started to wear looser fitting clothing so Philip didn't get suspicious. He may only be three, but the boy was awfully perceptive.

One Saturday morning after the family of three had finished breakfast and situated themselves in front of the TV to watch cartoons, Clint and Natasha had decided to tell Philip during a commercial break. They knew it was going to be difficult to explain to him, especially so early in the morning, but it was now or never before Philip started to notice Natasha's stomach.

"Hey buddy," Clint said once Philip's cartoon went on a commercial break, "Mommy and I need to talk to you."

Philip nodded in understanding and stared at Clint with his bright blue eyes that rivaled his own. Carefully, Natasha picked up Philip and set him in her lap. She kept him a safe distance from her protruding stomach so as not to give it away before they even told him.

"Philip, you know your daddy and I love you very much, right?" Natasha said as she brushed his hair off of his forehead.

"Mhmmm," Philip hummed, "and I love you too."

"We know, Philip," Natasha said. "We just want you to know that, no matter what, we will always love you." Natasha kissed the top of her son's head and she felt her heart quicken. She was nervous as to how he was going to take the news. She didn't want him to get upset over it, and she certainly didn't want him to get so upset that he started crying. She had a very brave boy for a son, but she didn't think her heart would be able to take it if he started to cry.

"With that said, buddy, how would you feel about having a little brother or sister?" Clint asked.

Natasha sucked in a nervous breath as she waited for her son's response. She watched him ponder Clint's question and his brow furrowed as he thought about it. "I don't have to share a room do I?" Philip asked inquisitively.

Clint chuckled. "No, buddy, you don't have to share a room."

"And you won't call them 'buddy?' I'm the only one you call 'buddy' right?" Philip asked.

"They would get their own nickname, of course," Clint said.

"And do I get to help?" Philip asked. He was really pummeling them with the questions.

"You can help with whatever you want," Clint said.

Philip tapped his forefinger to his lips as he continued to ponder the situation. "Well, _I guess_ that's cool," Philip said before giving Clint a smirk that reminded him of his. "But, how is the baby getting here?"

"Well, Philip," Natasha piped up. She rested a hand below her stomach as she pulled her shirt closer to her body to reveal her burgeoning stomach.

Philip's eyes widened with shock. "Whoa, Mommy, you got fat?"

Natasha heard Clint snort a laugh and she turned to him to shoot him a nasty look. Clint immediately grew silent when he saw the look she was giving him. Natasha turned her attention back to Philip, whose eyes were still wide with shock. "No honey, that's your little brother or sister in there."

"Well how did they get in there?" Philip asked.

Natasha turned to Clint. They still didn't quite know how to explain this to him so they were clearly going to have to wing it. "Umm, well, when two people love each other, they decide to have a baby. Your daddy and I love each other very much, and we love you very much too. We want to be a big, happy family."

"Oh," Philip said, drawing out the one syllable word. "I guess that makes sense. Okay, this sounds like fun!"

Clint and Natasha looked at each other. Philip had taken it fairly well for the most part. They knew he would ask questions but even then he had taken it easy on them. Either way, Clint, Natasha, Philip, and their little boy or girl were going to be a big, happy family.

* * *

_Second Trimester, 18 weeks_

Clint and Natasha sat in the doctor's office as they waited for Dr. Page to join them. When it had been confirmed that Natasha was expecting again, they had requested that Dr. Page join them for this journey once again. It was more along the lines of a comfort thing. They already knew her and it was just easier to get a doctor that knew how Natasha was during pregnancy.

"Long time, no see," Dr. Page joked as she walked into the room. Clint and Natasha greeted her warmly as she sat down on the rolling stool and started to fill out some paperwork about Natasha's appointment. After some small talk about how Philip was doing and how big he was getting, Dr. Page launched into the usual questionnaire about Natasha's pregnancy so far.

Natasha answered truthfully and confidently and before she knew it, Dr. Page was squirting the blue goo onto Natasha's exposed abdomen. Natasha knew their baby was in there. She had felt him or her move just the other day. Clint had been at work, but Philip was home with her so she shared the moment with her son. His eyes had widened with shock and excitement, and then he shouted at Natasha's stomach to order his younger sibling to do it again.

Dr. Page spread the blue goo across Natasha's stomach with the device and Natasha waited impatiently to see her second child on the screen. Dr. Page moved the device around on her stomach and Natasha saw her baby appear on the screen. Along with the picture was the quick thrum of the heartbeat. "Alright, there he or she is," Dr. Page said as she pointed to the screen. "Heartbeat's healthy and everything looks good."

Natasha couldn't control the tears that slid from the corners of her eyes. After the miscarriage, she was just so happy that her baby was there, alive and well. She swiped at the corners of her eyes but the tears kept coming. "Dammit, the hormones are really kicking my ass this time around," Natasha said with a nervous laugh.

"It happens," Dr. Page said with a shrug. "Although after what you went through, I don't blame you."

Natasha felt Clint squeeze her hand and a wave of comfort overcame her. That's when she realized that she had to ask Dr. Page a question, a very important question. "Umm, is it too early to determine the sex?"

"No, this is actually right around the time when we can tell. You're about 18 weeks. Would you guys like to know this time around?" Dr. Page asked. Clint and Natasha nodded silently. "Well, let's see," Dr. Page said as she moved the device around on Natasha's stomach. Clint and Natasha waited with bated breaths. They both wanted a girl so badly but even if it turned out to be a boy, there would be no problem in that. Natasha knew how badly Clint wanted a girl so she just desperately hoped that's what it turned out to be.

"Well, you can go home and tell Philip that he's going to have a little sister," Dr. Page said enthusiastically. "Congratulations, you two, it's a girl."

Natasha's jaw dropped the moment the words left Dr. Page's lips. "W-what?" she stammered.

"You're having a girl," Dr. Page said with a smile as she printed out a picture for Natasha. She removed the device from Natasha's stomach and then handed Natasha some wipes to remove the blue goo from her stomach. Natasha ignored Dr. Page and turned her head towards Clint instead. The moment her eyes locked on his, she could feel the tears about to spill over. She brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she felt the tears spill over. Clint stood up from his chair and kissed her on the forehead before pressing his lips to hers. He pulled away from her for a second only to lean down again and put his lips right by her ear.

"I told you I had a feeling."

* * *

_Second Trimester, 22 weeks_

"Would you be mad if I asked if we could give her a Russian name?" Natasha asked Clint one night after they had put Philip to bed. Natasha was underneath the covers with a bevy of pillows supporting her back. Her hand was resting on her stomach as she flipped through a book of baby names. None of them seemed to spark her interest and she had begun to think about all of the Russian names she knew.

"Probably not," Clint said as he appeared in the bedroom in a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, none of the names in this book are even remotely interesting," she said as she closed the book and tossed in on top of the bed. "And I realized that I really don't do anything about my Russian heritage."

Clint climbed underneath the covers and scooted closer to his wife. "Well, what names were you thinking?" he asked as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I always liked the names Emilia and Sofia. My parents almost named me Natalya and I always thought that name was pretty. Alexandra is a pretty common Russian name, but if we named her Aleksandra, it would be different," Natasha explained.

"You know what," Clint said. "You let me name Philip, so I'll let you choose our little girl's name."

"Well I can't choose, Clint," she sighed. "I need your help."

"Aleksandra is different," Clint said. "But I think Natalya is very pretty too. Natalya Barton. I like that."

"Yeah, but Emilia Barton sounds pretty too. Aleksandra Barton too," Natasha added.

"You're not making this any easier, you know," Clint said with a chuckle.

"Ugh, and then middle names, Clint! We have to come up with a middle name too," Natasha exclaimed.

"Hey, we still have four more months. We have plenty of time. We didn't pick out Philip's name until you had about a month left," Clint said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned over and pressed a kiss underneath her ear, right where her jaw started.

Clint was right. They had absolutely nothing to worry about right now. Their baby girl would get a name. They had four more months until she arrived. She would get a name and they would figure it out. So as they burrowed underneath the covers to go to sleep and Clint rested his hand on her swollen abdomen, she knew that she and Clint would figure it out no matter what.

* * *

**They're having a girl! Yay! And all of their friends are having babies too! Say what? Also, I'd very much like your input for this story. I'm going to put up a poll with the choices of baby names for Baby Girl Barton so you guys can vote on which name you want Clint and Natasha to name their daughter. Also, can any of you guess what the second part of this two-shot is going to be named? It's a quote from a movie. If anyone guesses it, you get...brownie points? Haha.**

**If you guys voted for my new story, it will be up tomorrow. If you didn't know, the winner was *drum roll please*...To Rome With Love! So look out for it tomorrow.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	18. The Cautionary Whale

__**Alright you guys, here's part 2! There's lots of fluff and you see some appearances from Clint's brother Barney and Bruce, and I let you guys know what they've been up to since we last saw them. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Second Trimester, 24 weeks_

"Philip, where's Mommy?" Clint asked his mini-me as he bounded down the stairs dressed in his red shirt and black pants for his pre-school's Christmas concert.

"She's still upstairs. She's not ready," Philip said.

Clint thought it was strange that Natasha wasn't ready. She was never one to take long to get ready for an event. That included taking a shower too. "Hey buddy," Clint said to Philip. "Why don't you watch some cartoons for a little bit while I go see if your mommy's ready, okay?"

"Okay Daddy," Philip said as he rushed into the living room and turned on the TV.

Clint headed up the stairs to his and Natasha's bedroom. When he entered it, he found it empty. "Nat?" Clint called out into the empty room.

"I'm…in the closet," he heard her say. There was something in her voice that had Clint convinced that something was wrong. He walked over to their walk-in closet and stood in the doorway. He found his wife sitting in the middle of the closet floor in a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.

"Nat, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice panicked, as he crouched down in front of her.

"None of my clothes fit me," she sobbed.

"Nat…" he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"How did this happen? When I was pregnant with Philip, I fit into my clothes a little longer and now I can barely fit into some of my shirts, let alone my pants," she whined.

"Tasha, you're six months pregnant. This is how it's supposed to be," Clint said in hopes that it would comfort her.

"But now I have nothing to wear to Philip's Christmas concert!" she wailed.

"Nat, Philip's not going to give a shit as to what you're wearing, just as long as you're there."

"But there's going to be all of the skinny twig bitch moms in their Chanel suits and Jimmy Choos and I'll be there in a t-shirt and sweatpants," she cried. "Ugh! Why haven't I controlled my food intake like when I was pregnant with Philip?"

"Because you're not supposed to control your food intake when you're pregnant," Clint said. "The whole point is that you gain weight for the baby." Clint placed a hand on Natasha's burgeoning stomach and gave her a smile.

"But I still have nothing to wear," Natasha whined.

Clint stood up and started searching through the racks of clothes. He pulled a couple dresses from the racks and then handed them to Natasha.

"You do realize it's the middle of December right?" she grumbled when she noticed they were all dresses.

"Just try them on," Clint said. "I'll be in the bedroom." Clint gave her a quick kiss before exiting the closet, sliding the door shut behind him. Clint paced the bedroom as he waited for Natasha to come out into the bedroom, dressed in one of the dresses he had picked out. He could hear her tossing the hangers on the floor and groaning when she most likely realized that specific dress didn't look good on her.

After a couple minutes, Clint heard the closet door slide open and Natasha walked out into the bedroom in a green dress that hugged her stomach but fanned out so that it looked like she was comfortable enough in it. "This one's not so bad," she mumbled.

With a smile, Clint closed the distance between him and Natasha. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Shut up," she grumbled.

Clint chuckled. "Nat, please don't talk about yourself the way you just did. You're pregnant, and contrary to popular belief, I find you…unbelievably sexy when you're pregnant."

"Hmmm," was all Natasha managed to say.

Clint gently grabbed Natasha's hands and put them on both sides of her stomach with his on top. "It's all going to be worth it, Nat. You know that, right?"

"Mhmmm," she hummed.

Clint was about to say something when he heard Philip walk into the room. "We're going to be late!" he announced. He grew silent when he caught sight of Natasha finally outfitted in her green dress. "Mama, you look so pretty!"

"Thank you Philip, and don't you look handsome all dressed up," she said. Philip grinned from ear-to-ear. "We'll be right down. Get your coat so you're ready to go when we come down."

"Okay Mama!" Philip exclaimed before disappearing from the room.

"Tasha," Clint said. Natasha turned back to Clint to face him, her green eyes boring into his blue-grey ones. "You could be wearing a brown paper bag and Philip would still think you're the prettiest mom in the whole wide world. Now grab some shoes and let's go."

Clint started to turn towards the door until Natasha grabbed him by the hand. "Clint," she said quietly. Clint turned to face her and he saw the faint smile playing on her lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

He reached out to cradle her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. "Anytime, love."

* * *

_Third Trimester, 28 weeks_

It had been a long day for the Barton family when they walked through the front door of their townhouse at nearly ten o'clock at night. Philip was asleep in Clint's arms with his head resting on Clint's shoulder. Clint's eyelids were drooping slightly and Natasha was rubbing her eyes and yawning incessantly. They hadn't intended to spend their entire day in the Upper East Side with Natasha's grandparents and father to organize the baby shower for Natasha, Peggy, and Jane, but before they knew it, Natasha's grandparents were offering to cook dinner for them and Clint and Natasha just couldn't bear to say no.

Natasha shut the front door behind her and she shrugged off her coat, draping it over the back of one of the armchairs in the living room.

"I'm going to take him to his room," Clint whispered to Natasha so as not to wake Philip. "I'll meet you in the bedroom, okay?"

Natasha nodded as she followed Clint up the stairs to the third floor of their townhouse. When they reached the top of the landing, Clint veered off to the right to head into Philip's room. Natasha watched him disappear into Philip's room before heading into their bedroom.

She flicked on the switch for the lights and then headed towards the bed. With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked off her shoes. Everything was sore. Her back ached. Her legs and ankles were swollen. She was mentally exhausted. She either wanted their daughter to come now, or she wanted to find some sort of way to relax.

That's when Natasha remembered asking Dr. Page at the last appointment if baths were a good way to relax and release the tension in aching muscles. Fortunately, Dr. Page said they were a good method as long as the water wasn't too hot. As Natasha was pushing herself off of the bed and shedding her cardigan, Clint walked into the room.

"Need help?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah, but not with taking my clothes off," she said with a small laugh. "Can you draw some bath water for me? Don't make the water too hot though."

"Huh?" Clint asked, arching his eyebrow in confusion.

"Everything aches, Clint. Dr. Page said taking a warm bath can ease the tension," Natasha said as she tried to pull her stockings down past her knees.

Clint just nodded and kissed the top of her head before heading into the bathroom. She heard him begin to draw the bath as she freed her right foot from her stockings and then headed into the bathroom. When she set foot in the bathroom, Clint was leaning over their giant tub – which could comfortably fit two, maybe three people – and testing the water.

Natasha padded over to Clint's side with a hand resting on her stomach and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. She snapped open the bottle and dropped a small glob of it in the water. She watched as the water turned into a bubbly wonderland and when there was enough water in the tub, she politely asked Clint to turn off the water.

After he had turned off the water, he stood up and faced Natasha. "Need help with your dress?" he asked. Natasha nodded and Clint tugged at the fabric, pulling it over her head and leaving her in just her bra and underwear. Suddenly, Natasha was very self-conscious of how she looked. Clint had seen her in much less in broad daylight, but she knew her body had to look strange at nearly seven months pregnant.

"What? What's wrong?" she heard Clint ask.

Natasha shook her head. "Nothing," she said as she pulled a hair tie from her wrist and swept her hair up into a bun.

Clint would've questioned her further, but he was just too tired and he could tell she was too, albeit for a completely different reason. He watched as she hesitantly unhooked her bra and then carefully eased her underwear down her legs. She grabbed Clint's hand to steady herself as she stepped into the tub and carefully lowered herself down.

The moment her body was immersed in the warm water, she let out a sigh of relief. She already felt better and she wished she could stay in here for the rest of the night. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clint kneel down next to the tub. He rested his arm on the edge and laid his head on top of his arm. "Better?" he asked with a yawn.

"Much better," Natasha said as she leaned her head back to rest it on the edge of the tub. Her swollen stomach wasn't completely underwater – and that was the way it was supposed to be – so she brought her hands up to rest on top of it. "You know what would make this better?"

"Hmmm," Clint hummed, half-asleep.

"If you joined me," Natasha said as she turned to face Clint and arched one of her eyebrows in seduction.

"Huh?" he asked, his eyes popping open. That certainly woke him up.

"Come on, Clint. We haven't really done anything that was just us since I got pregnant. Now strip and get in," she ordered.

Clint stared at her with wide eyes before standing up and yanking his t-shirt over his head. Natasha watched as Clint stripped in front of her, pulling articles of clothing from his body one by one. She stifled a laugh as he fumbled to step out of his boxers and then kicked them aside with his foot.

Natasha scooted forward as Clint climbed into the tub and settled down behind her. Once he was situated, he put his hands on both sides of her and pulled her back against him, her back resting against his toned chest. His strong arms wrapped around her and she leaned her head back against his shoulder.

"Better?" he asked. Natasha nodded as she closed her eyes. "You just wanted to get me naked didn't you?" Clint whispered in her ear and Natasha couldn't hold back the laugh that built up in her throat.

"Seriously Clint," she said as she turned her head to face him. Her green eyes locked on his blue-grey ones and she nearly lost her train of thought. She had looked into those blue-grey eyes for almost all of her life, but now, she couldn't help but see her son as she looked at Clint. "When was the last time we did something just you and me?"

Clint pondered his wife's question. The last time he could remember having alone time with her – real alone time – was the day they found out she was pregnant again. There was always at night before they went to bed, but even that hardly counted. "Huh, can't really think of the last time we had alone time," Clint said. "It's been a while."

"Mhmmm," Natasha hummed. They sat in silence for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company. They half expected Philip to interrupt them any second from being woken up by a nightmare or needing a drink of water, but he never did. Either way, they both stayed on alert, listening for Philip to call out for them in the silent night.

After a couple more minutes, Clint shifted in the tub before resting his hands on Natasha's protruding stomach. "Relaxed now?" he whispered in her ear. Natasha nodded silently. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah," she slurred but she didn't move the slightest. Instead, she rested her hands on top of Clint's, which were still on her stomach. "I can't wait to meet her, Clint."

Clint felt the grin spreading across his face. Clint pressed a kiss to Natasha's temple and he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Me neither, Nat."

Even though they were extremely tired, they didn't move from their positions in the bathtub. Only when the bubbles disappeared and the water turned uncomfortably cold did Clint carefully climb out of the tub from behind Natasha and grab two fluffy towels off of the towel rack. He wrapped one of them around his waist and secured it before turning back to face Natasha.

Slinging the second towel over his shoulder, Clint reached out both hands to Natasha to help her out of the bathtub. Carefully she stepped over the side and onto the bath mat as Clint kept her steady. Once her feet were firmly planted on the bath mat, Clint took the fluffy towel draped over his shoulder and wrapped it around her torso, even though her pregnant stomach protested.

Clint chuckled at the sight of her stomach poking out from underneath the towel and Natasha rolled her eyes. "Shut up," Natasha grumbled. "I can't help it."

"No, no, you just…you look really adorable," Clint said.

"I thought you said I'm sexy when I'm pregnant," she said with a seductive arch of her eyebrow.

"That, too," Clint added.

Natasha giggled. As she grabbed hold of the towel to keep it in place, she reached up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to Clint's. It had been a while since they'd had moments like this to themselves, so Natasha was going to live in the moment because there was no telling when they'd get another moment like this.

* * *

_Third Trimester, 35 weeks_

"Philip, honey, can you grab the box of cupcakes and bring them over here, please? And be careful with them," Natasha asked her son.

"Okay, Mommy," Philip said as he grabbed the box of cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and carefully carried them across the room. When he reached Natasha, he pushed the box up onto the table she was standing in front of and then looked up at his mother with his bright blue eyes.

"Thank you, Philip," Natasha said. She opened the lid of the box and pulled out a vanilla cupcake with blue frosting. She handed it to Philip, who looked like he was about to pee his pants from excitement. "Don't make a mess okay?"

Philip nodded and headed into the dining room where Clint was setting up the hors d'oeuvres for the impending baby shower. Peggy, Jane, Steve, and Thor – along with the rest of their friends – would be arriving within the hour. With three pregnant women, they were going to need as much food as possible.

"Daddy, look what Mommy gave me," Philip said, holding out the cupcake.

"Cool, buddy, why don't you sit at the table so you don't get crumbs on the floor, okay?" Philip nodded and set his cupcake on the table before climbing onto a chair. He quietly ate his cupcake as he watched his father arrange the plates of food on the table. By the time Philip finished his cupcake, there was frosting on the tip of his nose and there were cupcake crumbs scattered all over the table.

"Hey, how about we try getting the frosting in your mouth the next time?" Clint said with a chuckle as he wiped the frosting off of Philip's nose with a napkin. "Now go wash your hands because the guests will be arriving soon."

"Okay Daddy," Philip said as he slid off of the chair and skipped out of the room. Clint shook his head with a smile plastered on his face. He was just about to turn back to setting up the food when Natasha padded into the room, cradling her pregnant stomach with one hand on top and the other underneath.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked.

"Nothing," Natasha said shaking her head. "I just can't believe we only have a month until the baby comes."

Clint closed the distance between him and his wife. He rested his hands on both sides of her stomach before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Can't wait for her to get here," he whispered. He was about to rest his forehead against hers when his phone buzzed from his pocket. He pulled it out to check the caller ID before answering it. "Hey Steve!" Clint said when he answered the phone. There was silence as Clint listened to Steve on the other end. "Yeah, just head on up. Security will let you through."

Within minutes, Steve and a pregnant Peggy arrived at Natasha's grandparents' penthouse but it wasn't long until the rest of the guests started to arrive. One by one they started to arrive. Shortly after Peggy and Steve's arrival, Jane and Thor arrived, followed by Natasha's father. The penthouse became a mad house when Barney arrived with his too-hot-for-him British girlfriend, Rosie, and their two-year-old son, Brody. Tony and Pepper, who had been married for almost as long as Clint and Natasha, arrived shortly after with their four-year-old daughter Olivia.

There were many more guests that arrived, such as Jane's roommate and best friend from Harvard, Darcy, as well as Thor's brother, Loki. Clint's parents also came while Bruce was the last to arrive with a dark-haired beauty on his arm whom he introduced as Betty, his fiancée.

When everyone had arrived, they headed into the dining room to grab some snacks before heading into the living room to play catch up. Clint and Natasha obviously dropped the bomb on Barney, questioning him as to when he was going to pop the question to Rosie. They already had a son together and they'd been together for almost ten years.

"Who says you have to be married to have a kid?" Barney scoffed, to which he was met with a vicious glare from Rosie. Barney met Rosie after he graduated college and moved to London to start a job as a journalist at a fashion magazine. Barney had been embarrassed at first that he had gotten a job at a fashion magazine but it paid well and he got to live in London for crying out loud. But one day as he was walking back to his office to work on his next piece, he ran into Rosie, who was obviously on her way to a photo shoot by the way she was dressed. Barney was instantly smitten but it took him quite a few months to actually pluck up the courage to ask her out. When he finally did, the rest was history.

"Well I think you should Barney," Steve chimed in. "A gorgeous girl like her deserves to be spoken for."

Rosie continued to glare at Barney and Barney refused to meet her gaze. When the subject was dropped, the attention was turned to Bruce and his fiancée, Betty. Apparently Bruce and Betty had met when they were both assigned to a gamma radiation research project. As usual, Bruce was shy as ever but Betty could tell he liked her, which is why she asked him out herself. They'd been dating for two and a half years until Bruce actually popped the question. By then, he had enough courage around her that he could ask her anything.

The group of friends had spent most of the baby shower catching up with one another that they had barely focused on the actual festivities for the shower. After a while, they decided to skip playing games and just go straight to opening the gifts. One by one, gifts were passed to the expectant ladies. Natasha made sure to involve Philip, as well as Brody and Olivia. Every so often, she would pass them one of her gifts so they could open it for her.

As the baby shower began to wind down, Natasha glanced around at her group of friends, new and old, and realized how incredibly lucky she was. She may not see her friends as much as she used to when they were in high school or even college, but she knew that they would always be her friends no matter what.

* * *

_Third Trimester, 41 weeks_

Natasha was nervous. She was extremely nervous. The baby was a week late, and the last thing Natasha wanted was to have to induce labor medically. She knew it was safe, but she wanted to do everything naturally. At their last doctor's appointment, Natasha was so desperate that she asked Dr. Page for some natural ways to induce labor. Dr. Page had suggested some herbal remedies such as teas but the one that caught both Clint and Natasha's attention was to have sex.

"W-won't that hurt the baby?" Clint asked nervously. "I mean, at least this late in the pregnancy."

"It's perfectly safe," Dr. Page reassured them. "If you're really concerned about inducing labor medically, Natasha, maybe you guys should try having sex."

Natasha and Clint looked at each other nervously and then were sent on their way after the appointment. They were skeptical as to whether they should do it. They'd never had sex while Natasha was pregnant. Not even when she was pregnant with Philip did they engage in sexual intercourse but if this was quite possibly the only way to induce labor naturally, they were going to try it.

So later that night, well after Philip fell asleep, Clint and Natasha awkwardly sat in bed, wondering how they should begin. Normally when they had sex, Natasha would put on some skimpy lingerie and they would engage in role playing, but in Natasha's condition, that didn't seem like a wise choice.

"So…" Clint said as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. "How do we do this?"

"Like hell I know," Natasha muttered.

"Maybe…maybe we should just let it happen, and if it doesn't, they induce labor, Nat," Clint said.

"Clint, you know I don't want that," Natasha whined.

"I know, Tasha," Clint sighed. "I guess we just…try then."

Natasha sighed. "Yeah," she sighed. "And aren't you supposed to find me sexy while I'm pregnant? That should make this easy for you." She turned to face Clint – who had a look of shock displayed across his face – and smirked.

Once Clint composed himself, he chuckled. "How does that make it easy for me? I'll have to do all the work."

"At least you get to look good while doing it. I have the equivalent of a pumpkin for a stomach, my boobs are gross, and my ass is huge," she shot back.

"You…have a really cute ass," Clint said seductively as he leaned over and crushed his lips to Natasha's. The moment Clint's lips connected with hers, she felt confident enough that they could do this. She wanted their daughter to be born as soon as possible and with the least amount of drugs to aid her birth.

Natasha put more effort into the kiss before she started to tug at Clint's t-shirt. Clint chuckled before pulling away so Natasha could pull his t-shirt over his head. She tossed the t-shirt onto the floor and attacked Clint's lips with hers more forcefully this time around.

The moment her lips reconnected with Clint's, she felt it. She didn't quite remember what it felt like from when she was pregnant with Philip, mostly because it happened when she was asleep. But now, being wide awake when it happened, it certainly shocked her and she couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her lips.

"What, Nat? What? What's wrong?" Clint asked frantically when he pulled away from her.

Natasha stared at him with wide eyes before saying, "My water broke."

* * *

"Fuck," Natasha hissed as another contraction wreaked havoc on her body. They had been at the hospital for almost four hours and Natasha was only two centimeter dilated. She was tired and she knew she wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon.

"Just breathe, Nat," Clint said as he rubbed her back.

"Shit," she cussed. "I don't remember them being this bad when I was in labor for Philip."

"I read somewhere that, sometimes, the second child's harder to deliver," Clint said.

"Well that doesn't make me feel any better," Natasha snapped. Clint chuckled as he continued to rub her back and he only hoped it made her feel slightly more comfortable.

Natasha let out a shaky breath to ride out the rest of the contraction before carefully rolling over to face Clint. "Can you maybe bring Philip in here? If he's sleeping don't worry about it but I just want to see him," Natasha asked weakly. Before they had left the house, Clint called Barney – who had taken a leave of absence from work so he could spend time with family and friends back in the States with Rosie and Brody – and asked if he could meet them at the hospital so someone could watch Philip.

"I'll go check on him," Clint said with a nod as he pressed a kiss to Natasha's forehead before swiftly exiting the room.

Natasha sighed as she carefully tried to push herself up into a more comfortable position. Natasha hoped Philip wasn't sleeping because she desperately wanted to see him. She wanted to apologize for waking him up abruptly and practically scaring the living daylights out of him when Natasha fought off a contraction in the car on the way to the hospital.

"Hi Mama," Philip said shyly from the doorway with Clint standing right behind him.

"Hi honey, come here," Natasha said as she held her arms out openly for Philip to join her. He hesitantly stepped into the room with a little push from Clint before approaching Natasha's hospital bed. Clint lifted him up and set him on the bed next to Natasha, carefully so as not to disturb any of the wires to the machines that Natasha was hooked up to.

"I'm okay, Philip. I'm sorry for scaring you in the car," Natasha said apologetically as she brushed the hair off of her son's forehead.

"Is she hurting you?" Philip whispered. "I don't think I can like her if she's hurting you."

"No, Philip, she's not hurting me. You know that Daddy wouldn't let that happen, right?" Natasha said as she glanced up at Clint. He was trying his very best to make her feel as comfortable as possible even though Natasha was being incredibly hostile.

"I'm going to be okay, Philip," Natasha said as she looked into her son's bright blue eyes. It was almost four years ago when she fell in love with the little boy in front of her. It was almost like she had fallen in love with Clint all over again. "And you know I love you very much, right?" Philip nodded. "Okay, give me a hug."

Philip leaned forward and carefully wrapped his arms around Natasha while Natasha pulled him close. She didn't want to let go of him. When this was all over, everything would change. Everything would be different, but she wanted Philip to know that she still loved him no matter what. The baby was going to need a lot of attention so she wanted Philip to know that he was still loved.

"Okay," Natasha said when she and Philip pulled apart. "I think you should go back to the waiting room and get some sleep. You look very tired."

"Okay Mama," Philip said, the disappointment in his voice obvious.

"I'll be okay, Philip. Don't worry about me," Natasha said.

Philip nodded. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, Philip," she said. Natasha looked up at Clint as if to tell him to take him back to the waiting room to rejoin Barney. Clint picked up Philip from the bed and took his hand as they headed out of the room. With one last glance over his shoulder, Natasha saw Philip offer up a weak wave and she returned the gesture just before he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

It was rough and tiresome, but after nearly 12 hours of being in labor and what felt like an eternity of pushing, Natasha was holding her and Clint's newborn daughter in her arms. It was hard to believe the journey both her and Clint endured to get to this point, but they finally had a daughter and they couldn't be happier.

"Hmm, yeah, I definitely just fell in love with you all over again," Clint said, his eyes glued to his newborn daughter in Natasha's arms.

Natasha felt a gigantic smile spread across her face. "Hmm, think we should bring Philip in now?"

"I'll go get him in a few minutes," Clint said.

"Clint," Natasha whined. "We can't exclude him from this."

"I know, just…give me a minute," Clint sighed. It took him a couple minutes to actually get up from his perch on the edge of the bed and exit the room, but when he did, he kissed both Natasha and his daughter on the forehead before leaving to retrieve Philip. It was a couple minutes before Clint returned with Philip. When he did, Natasha greeted Philip with a smile as Clint lifted him onto the bed.

"Hi Philip, there's someone I want you to meet," Natasha cooed. Philip scooted closer to Natasha to catch a glimpse of his little sister. "This is Emilia Aleksandra Barton. This is your little sister."

"Hi Emilia," Philip said with a wave and Emilia answered with a yawn.

Clint chuckled as he sat down on the other side of Natasha and adjusted the small pink hat on Emilia's head. "You've got a big role to fill, Philip. You're Emilia's big brother so you have to stick up for her and protect her."

Philip nodded. "I will, Daddy."

The Bartons sat there for what felt like hours, just admiring the newest addition to their family. It was a long time coming, but now, it felt like they could finally call themselves a family. They were finally whole.

* * *

**And so Emilia Aleksandra Barton was born and the Bartons became a family of four! No one guessed the second part of the quote for this update. If you guys have ever seen the movie _Juno_, it's from that haha. And can any of you guess who Barney's girlfriend is? She is a British model and her name is Rosie. Anybody know who it is? Brownie points if you guess her name! I hope you guys liked the whole gang coming back together and seeing that some of them have gotten married and had kids (ahem Pepperony).**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	19. Bedroom Hymns

**Setting/Summary: Emilia is giving Natasha trouble when it comes to going to bed at night. Now that Natasha works from home and only goes in to work when the linguistics department is short staffed, Clint works longer hours, which usually means he doesn't come home until bedtime or afterwards. And that's the problem. Clint holds the secret to getting Emilia to fall asleep. What is it? Read and find out. Clint is 29, Natasha is 28, Philip is 4, and Emilia is about three months old. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song lyrics. They belong to Taylor Swift. (And by the way, that probably gave it all away but I have to put a disclaimer because I always forget haha.)**

* * *

"Mama, make her stop!" Philip whined as he plugged his ears with his fingers.

"I know, Philip. I'm so sorry," Natasha said apologetically as she gently bounced a crying Emilia up and down to calm her. For the past few nights, Natasha had been having difficulty putting Emilia to sleep. Clint had been working late as of recently, which meant that he was coming home either during or after bedtime.

"Where's Daddy when you need him?" Philip mused.

Natasha laughed at her son. When Philip was a baby, he was easy to put asleep, no matter which parent it was. However, Emilia was extremely difficult and sometimes she would only fall asleep if Clint was the one putting her to sleep.

"Do you want me to call him, Mama?" Philip asked.

"No, he could still be in a meeting. Thank you though, Philip," Natasha said wearily.

Just then Natasha heard the front door close from downstairs and she breathed a sigh of relief. Clint was finally home and maybe Emilia could finally fall asleep. Natasha waited patiently for Clint to come upstairs; she didn't want to seem desperate. She heard Clint climb the stairs and seconds later, he appeared in the doorway.

"Hey buddy," Clint said to Philip as he ruffled his hair. He slipped past Philip and crossed the room to Natasha and Emilia. He pressed a quick kiss to Natasha's lips before reaching for Emilia. Natasha passed Emilia to Clint and she slowly began to calm down.

"Go get Philip ready for bed. We'll be fine. Right, love?" Clint asked Emilia, whose head was resting against Clint's chest. She was sucking on her fist and her eyelids were slowly beginning to droop.

"Are you sure? You just got home," Natasha said.

"I'm fine. Go," he ordered. Natasha nodded and walked over to Philip, taking him by the hand to lead him out of the room. They walked into the bathroom and Natasha drew a bath for Philip. When the water was just the way Philip liked it, he undressed and Natasha lifted him into the tub. Natasha quickly washed his hair and body and then rinsed him off. She promised him five minutes of playtime and then he had to get out.

"Mama," Philip said as he played with one of his toy boats. "Why does Emilia only fall asleep when Daddy's around?"

"I don't know," Natasha mused. "Two more minutes though, okay Philip?"

Philip nodded as Natasha got up to grab a towel from the shelf. When Philip's two minutes were up, Natasha pulled the drain for the tub and lifted Philip out to dry him off. When he was mostly dry, Natasha picked him up and carried him to his bedroom to get him dressed for bed. She pulled out a couple pairs of pajamas and asked him which ones he wanted to wear. Philip pointed to the Superman pajamas and Natasha slipped them onto her eldest child.

"Alright, climb on in. It's past your bedtime," Natasha said. Philip jumped into bed and burrowed underneath the covers. Natasha tucked him in and gave him a goodnight kiss before turning to the side to turn on Philip's nightlight.

"Goodnight Philip," Natasha said.

"Night Mama," Philip said as he yawned and rolled over onto his side in bed.

Natasha flipped the light switch to turn off the light and decided to head back to the nursery to see if Clint had managed to get Emilia to fall asleep. As she made her way down the hall, she heard Clint's faint voice. But he wasn't talking, he was singing.

_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go,_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light._

_I remember you said don't leave me here alone,_

_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight._

_Just close your eyes,_

_The sun is going down._

_You'll be alright,_

_No one can hurt you now._

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound._

_Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire,_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on._

_Hold on to this lullaby,_

_Even when the music's gone, gone._

_Just close your eyes,_

_The sun is going down._

_You'll be alright,_

_No one can hurt you now._

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound._

"Figures," Natasha muttered under her breath. She reached the nursery and leaned against the doorframe as she watched Clint slowly rock back and forth in the rocking chair and sang to Emilia in his arms.

_Just close your eyes,_

_You'll be alright._

_Come morning light,_

_You and I'll be safe and sound._

Clint finished out the song by humming the last few frames but he didn't put Emilia in her crib. Instead, he continued to rock back and forth in the rocking chair as he held Emilia in his arms.

"If that's what gets her to fall asleep, why don't we just record you singing? It would make my life a hell of a lot easier," Natasha said from the doorway.

Without taking his eyes off of Emilia, Clint chuckled. "That wouldn't work. She likes when I hold her and sing to her."

"Well then how about I go back to work and you work from home? That way you'd always be here for naptime _and_ bedtime," Natasha teased.

Clint chuckled as he got up from the rocking chair and gently lowered a sleeping Emilia into her crib. He covered her up with her blanket then turned around and crossed the room to Natasha. "I think you're just jealous that I never sing to you anymore," Clint joked.

"Alright, you got me. I'm jealous," she said with a smirk.

Clint chuckled and leaned down to press a soft kiss to Natasha's lips. "If you want me to, I can ask to be home earlier," he said when he pulled away from her. "I wouldn't mind, either. I like putting Emilia to bed."

"She's such a Daddy's Girl."

"Oh, and like Philip isn't a Mama's Boy?" Clint countered.

Natasha giggled. "Okay, agree to disagree?"

"Fine," Clint said. "So now that the kids are asleep, can we get in bed and cuddle?"

Natasha snorted a laugh. "Yes, we can get in bed and cuddle now."

"Yes!" Clint hissed in celebration. He bent down and swept Natasha off of her feet, scooping her up in his arms. Natasha let out a small squeal but cut it off as soon as she realized what Clint was doing.

Natasha's arms locked around Clint's neck and softly pressed her lips to his. "Alright, to the bedroom to cuddle and fall asleep to reruns of _Friends_," she said.

Clint chuckled. Natasha reached behind her before they left the nursery to flip off the light. As Clint walked down the hall to the bedroom with Natasha in his arms, he whispered to her, "Bedtime is my favorite time of day."

* * *

**It's just a short update but this came to me out of the blue so I had to write it. A couple things, I have an idea for a one-shot for these two but it will be super long and it will literally hit you right in the feels. I think. It might be a bit of an outrageous thing to happen to Clint and Natasha, but then again, they do work at the UN and that means they travel a lot. So I guess it isn't as outrageous. I know, I'm being vague haha. Also, to guest reviewer Kazz and friendsrox12, I was working on your idea/prompt but I didn't like how it turned out so I scrapped it. I'm still going to work on it, I promise so it will be coming. Finally, if you read _Lucky Ones_, the next chapter will either be up later tonight or sometime tomorrow. I'm like halfway done with the chapter and I'm a little stuck on how I want something to play out.**

**Anyways, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review.**


	20. Ten Years

**Setting/Summary: It's Clint and Natasha's ten year anniversary and as mentioned in the "Paris When It Sizzles" one-shot, they are getting remarried. They're getting remarried in Central Park (just like they did in the Epilogue of **_**Fix You**_**) on the day of their anniversary. Clint is 30 (say what?), Natasha is 29, Philip is 5, and Emilia is about 15 months old (so a little over a year old). Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun's rays bore down on Clint's back as he watched some of the workers put the finishing touches on the wedding decorations. Clint was already dressed in his tux and he knew it was a bad idea. He could already feel himself sweating so he couldn't even imagine how bad it would be by the time the wedding started in an hour.

Though they were still having the wedding in Central Park like they did when they first got married, they had decided on a change of scenery. The Conservatory Garden was nice and all, but they figured they wanted to make new memories, not add on to the old ones. So they had chosen to get remarried by Turtle Pond. When they were scoping out locations in the park, Philip and Emilia had had so much feeding the geese that they couldn't fathom having it at another place.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Clint heard Philip chant. He turned around to see his eldest child barreling towards him with Emilia barely on his heels and his father struggling to keep up.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Clint said as he crouched down to meet Philip at eye level.

"We just saw Mama and she looks _beautiful_!" Philip exclaimed. "You won't even believe it!"

Clint chuckled. "I think I'd believe it," he said. "Your mom's always beautiful. That and I also bought her dress for her."

While Clint had been planning to propose to Natasha again while they were in Paris two years ago, he had returned to the small dress shop that housed the wedding dress Natasha had been so captivated by. He had talked to the shopkeeper about possibly holding onto a dress so when it came time for Natasha to get a dress, Clint already had it covered. So, when Natasha started searching for a dress, Clint stopped her. With a call to the shop in Paris, Natasha had her dress shipped to her within a week.

"But Daddy, she's going to take your breath away!" Philip exclaimed.

Clint chuckled again but didn't respond. He seriously wondered how his son learned all this stuff. Maybe Natasha was watching one too many romantic comedies with him when they had days off together. Either way, he knew his son would be right though.

Finally, Emilia reached Clint and Philip. With her gorgeous green eyes, she stared right at Clint and that alone made him want to pick up his youngest child. He grabbed hold of her as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her. Emilia was dressed in a light purple dress with white sandals. Her red curls were pushed out of her face by a white headband with a small bow on it.

"Well, look at you, Emilia," Clint said. "I've got to say, you're looking more and more like your mommy every day."

"She looks gorgeous, Clint," Clint's father chimed in when he reached his son and grandchildren.

"She does, doesn't she?" Clint said as he smiled at Emilia.

"Though she's nothing short of beautiful, I wasn't talking about Emilia," Clint's father said. Clint tore his eyes away from Emilia to look at his father, shooting him a puzzled look. "Natasha," Clint's father confirmed. "I've got to say, after two kids and being married to you for ten years, she's still just as beautiful as she was when she was in high school."

"Thanks Dad, it's nice to know I haven't ruined Nat's good looks," Clint said sarcastically.

"Just letting you know," Clint's dad said with a shrug. "She hasn't changed one bit since high school, or hell, even elementary school."

Clint nodded in understanding and suddenly, Emilia squirmed in his arms. "Daddy, flower!" she exclaimed as she pointed over his shoulder.

Clint turned around and saw the small patch of white flowers on the ground. "I see, Emilia," he said. "They're very pretty."

"Flower!" she said as she reached out for one. Clint carefully crouched down and picked a handful of the flowers. He handed them to Emilia and she took them. In return, she stuck one of the flowers behind Clint's ear.

"I'm sure Mommy will get a kick out of this if I kept it there," Clint mumbled as he adjusted the flower.

"Philip!" Emilia said as she reached out to her brother. She held out one of the flowers and he took it.

"Thank you, Emilia," Philip said politely.

"It's almost time," Clint's father piped up. "Should I take Emilia back to Natasha?"

"I guess so," Clint said disappointedly as he handed Emilia over to his father.

"Can I go too?" Philip asked hopefully.

"Sorry buddy," Clint said. "Besides, you're still my best man, right?"

"Mhmm," Philip hummed as he nodded his head.

"Good, so why don't we go help out the workers over there before the wedding starts, okay?" Clint asked.

"Okay, Daddy," Philip chanted.

"Say bye to Daddy, Emilia?" Clint's father asked his granddaughter.

Emilia waved her hand that was still clutched around the white flowers Clint had picked for her.

"Bye, love. I'll see you soon, okay?" Clint said.

Clint's father nodded at Clint and Philip before he turned on his heel with Emilia in his arms. Clint watched as they walked away before turning to look up at Belvedere Castle across from the pond. Natasha was up there getting ready and he couldn't help but compare her to a princess. And what he wouldn't give to see that princess right now.

* * *

Natasha stared down at her wedding guests as they began to arrive. She had watched the workers put the finishing touches on the decorations before the first guest arrived. The groomsmen – which included Clint and Philip – were gathered at the beginning of the aisle as they greeted guests as they arrived.

"Mama!" Natasha heard from behind her. Natasha spun around and saw Clint's father holding Emilia.

"Hello, love," Natasha said with a smile as Clint's father brought Emilia over. He handed her off to Natasha and Natasha kissed Emilia on the top of the head. Emilia – still holding the flowers that she picked with Clint – held them out to Natasha.

"Oh, are these for me?" Natasha asked. Emilia nodded her head, her bright green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Thank you so much, Emilia."

"Everyone's almost here," Clint's father said. "Susan's getting the bridesmaids ready. We're just waiting on you and Emilia."

"We're ready, right love?" Natasha asked Emilia. Emilia nodded her head, her curls bouncing up and down as she did so.

"Okay, I'll let Susan know. We'll head down in five minutes," Clint's father said. He turned around and headed out of the room, leaving Natasha and Emilia by themselves.

"So, love, are you ready for Mommy and Daddy to get married again?" Natasha asked Emilia as she gently bounced her up and down on her hip. Emilia just stared back at Natasha with her bright green eyes. "Ten years, Emilia. I've been married to your Daddy for ten years, and I've been in love with him longer than that. I've loved him for practically my whole life."

Emilia stared back at Natasha and Natasha rolled her eyes at her youngest. "You know, you're just like me when I was this age. We need to change that," Natasha said with a giggle.

"Hello?" Clint's mother said as she poked her head into the room.

Natasha greeted her with a smile. "Yes, Susan?"

"Are the bride and the maid-of-honor ready?" Clint's mother asked.

Natasha felt a huge grin spread across her face. "More than ready."

* * *

Clint stood at the end of the aisle with Philip, Thor, Steve, and Barney. The sun was facing their backs so even though they would easily be able to see the women come down the aisle, it might not be so easy for the women to see them. Philip was rocking back and forth on his feet as he impatiently waited for the ceremony to be over.

Clint's heart started to race when the music kicked in and Rosie – now Barney's wife – appeared at the end of the aisle to begin the procession. Jane and Peggy soon followed. There was a brief pause before Emilia started making her way down the aisle. When she did, she did it at her own pace. Even though Emilia was practically the maid-of-honor, they decided to give her a small basket of flower petals that she could toss as she made her way down the aisle.

Clint chuckled as he watched Emilia slowly make her way down the aisle. She wasn't quite sticking to the middle of it, sometimes walking closer to the chairs on one of the sides of the aisle. At one point she had stopped to hand her cousin Brody a flower petal before continuing down the aisle.

When she reached the end of the aisle, she dumped the rest of the petals on the ground. Clint chuckled before stepping forward to scoop her up in his arms. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek before turning his attention to the end of the aisle just in time to see the one person he had been waiting for.

Standing at the opposite end of the aisle on her father's arm was Natasha. As he got a good look at her, he realized why she had loved the dress when she'd seen it in Paris. Even though Natasha was still very tiny, she had curves from having two kids and the dress showed it off in all the right places. The thigh-high slit was sexy but appropriate. Just like ten years ago, her hair was pulled back into an intricate bun with white flowers pinned in it. Indeed, she was a princess.

"Mama!" Emilia exclaimed when she saw Natasha making her way down the aisle on her father's arm. Clint chuckled and the rest of the bridal party and wedding guests joined in. Clint even noticed Natasha try to stifle a laugh.

When Natasha made it to the end of the aisle, Clint took her by the hand and led her a few feet to stand in front of the minister. Clint knew he should set Emilia down on the ground but he knew the moment he did, she would wander away. Not that she could really go anywhere with almost 75 wedding guests to grab hold of her if she did, but he wanted her and Philip to be with him and Natasha while they made new memories.

"Hey buddy, why don't you go stand next to Mommy?" Clint suggested as he turned around to Philip, who was still standing behind him.

Philip nodded and stepped around Clint to stand next to Natasha. "Mama, you look _so_ pretty!" Philip whispered.

Natasha giggled as she bent down and pecked her son on the cheek. "Thank you, love. And you look handsome yourself," Natasha whispered before standing up straight to look at Clint. "Hi," she whispered to him.

"Hi," Clint said with a smile.

"Ten years," Natasha said with a smirk.

"Ten years and counting," Clint said with a smirk that rivaled hers.

Natasha felt a gigantic grin spread across her face and she cast her eyes down to the ground to hide it. When she'd finally composed herself, she looked up at Clint and into his blue-grey eyes as if to tell him that she was ready to begin another journey with him.

* * *

Following the ceremony, the bridal party and the wedding guests made their way over to the Loeb Boathouse for the reception. By the time the ceremony was over, Emilia was already half asleep in Clint's arms and Philip was already starting to rub his eyes. It had been a long day for the both of them, but when Natasha and Clint mentioned that they still had to eat dinner and dessert, both of them perked up.

There was no doubt about it when Clint and Natasha were asked which song they wanted to have their first dance to. "Never Let Me Go" seemed to play during the most pivotal moments in their relationship: their first kiss, their first time at prom, the night of Natasha's senior prom when they slow danced in Clint's backyard, and, of course, their wedding ten years ago. Without a doubt, that was one aspect of their memories they didn't want to change.

As they swayed back and forth on the dance floor, Natasha rested her head on Clint's chest and closed her eyes. For a moment, she felt like she was a teenager again. She remembered all the best moments in their lives together as they glided across the dance floor together.

About half way through the song, Clint and Natasha broke away from each other briefly, only to lead one another over to the edge of the dance floor. Clint swept Emilia up in his arms while Natasha led Philip onto the dance floor. The crowd watched in admiration before several couples started trickling onto the dance floor to join them.

When the song had faded out, the DJ switched over to a slow, mellow song for dinner. The bridal party and the wedding guests made their way to their respective tables as the boathouse staff began to serve dinner.

When everyone had finished their dinner, the Barton family headed over to the table that held the tower of cupcakes. For some reason, Philip preferred cupcakes over actual cake, even though they were practically the same thing. Therefore, Clint and Natasha decided to have cupcakes at the wedding instead.

"Don't you even dare _think_ about smashing that in my face," Natasha snarled as she glared at the cupcake Clint had picked up.

Clint shrugged and then handed the cupcake to Emilia. Natasha grabbed a cupcake and handed it to Philip before grabbing one for herself. As she began peeling the cupcake wrapper from the cupcake, she noticed Emilia move out of the corner of her eye. She diverted her attention to her daughter and her husband just in time to see Emilia smash her cupcake in Clint's face.

Natasha desperately tried to stifle a laugh as she heard Philip giggle next to her. Clint, with a face full of frosting, smiled at Emilia before he leaned forward to kiss her with his frosting covered face. Natasha giggled and she grabbed a couple napkins from the table to hand to Clint.

"She really is just like you, Nat," Clint chuckled as he wiped the frosting off of Emilia's face that he had managed to smear onto her when he kissed her.

As the reception wore on into the night, Philip and Emilia grew increasingly tired. Clint and Natasha knew this would happen seeing as they had both been up since seven to get ready for the wedding. Thankfully, the rest of the wedding guests felt sympathy towards Philip and Emilia and started to make their way out of the boathouse to head home as well.

When the majority of the wedding guests had left to retire to their homes or hotel rooms, Clint's parents sent Natasha, Clint, and the kids on their way, assuring them that they would take care of the gifts and the clean up. With Emilia in Natasha's arms and Philip in Clint's, Clint hailed a cab that slowed to a stop at the curb on the edge of the park on Fifth Avenue. The Bartons piled into the backseat and settled in for the ride down to Greenwich Village.

"You looked beautiful today, Nat," Clint whispered so as not to disturb the children that were now currently asleep.

"I told you this dress would be better," Natasha said with a smirk.

"Tasha…" Clint sighed.

"Admit it," Natasha said as she pushed the dress's fabric aside to reveal her toned left leg. "This dress is better."

"I, umm…I-I, yeah I guess," Clint stammered.

Natasha giggled. She shifted her grasp on Emilia in her arms as she carefully leaned over to press a kiss to Clint's jaw. "Ten years, Clint," she whispered as she felt a smile spread across her face.

Clint shifted in the seat as he turned his body towards Natasha. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Natasha's. "And here's to ten more," he said. He kissed her again. "And another ten." Another kiss. "And another ten." Another kiss. "And another ten."

Natasha giggled as Clint continued. "Okay, I get it."

"I love you, Nat," Clint breathed against her lips.

"I love you too, Clint."

* * *

**Awww Clint and Natasha have been married for ten years. Hope you guys liked the wedding and the fluffiness. I know I skipped a lot but I'll be going back because I have other stuff to write in between Emilia being born and the ten-year anniversary wedding. I just needed to get this out of my head.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	21. Merry Christmas Darling

**Setting/Summary: It's Christmastime in the Barton household! (I know it's still early for Christmas related stuff but I'm in the mood haha). These are just random things that happen in the month of December leading up to Christmas and it's before Clint and Natasha's 10 year wedding anniversary. Clint is 29, Natasha is 29 (remember, her birthday is in November), Philip is 4, and Emilia is about nine months old. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clint scooped Philip up in his arms and handed him the gold star that would complete their Christmas tree. Clint got a firm grip on Philip as he lifted him above his head so he could place the star atop the tree.

"Higher, Philip!" Natasha cheered him on from the couch. "You can do it!"

With his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth for concentration, Philip reached above his head as he placed the star on the top of the tree. It was a little crooked but it would suffice. Clint carefully lowered Philip down to the floor and he surveyed his son's work.

"Good job, Philip," Clint said as he nodded in approval. He turned around to see Philip climbing onto the couch and snuggling into Natasha's side. Emilia was situated in Natasha's lap, playing with one of her stuffed tigers she was so fond of. Natasha caught Clint's eye and she patted the space on the couch next to Philip.

Clint stepped around the coffee table and plopped down on the couch next to Philip. He placed a kiss on Natasha's temple and then turned back to admire the Barton family Christmas tree.

"Mama, do you think it will snow on Christmas?" Philip asked hopefully. Philip had seen snow many times in his life so far, but he was still hoping there would be a white Christmas. There had been snow flurries on Christmas Eve in the past but it was never enough to stick to the ground.

"Maybe," Natasha said as she brushed some of Philip's hair out of his face.

"If it does," Clint chimed in as he gently poked Philip in the belly. "We can go to Central Park and have a snowball fight." Clint lifted his head and his eyes met Natasha's. He saw the faint smirk on her face as she was no doubt remembering their snowball fight years ago when they spent a week in her grandparents' apartment on Fifth Avenue.

"Oh, I hope it snows!" Philip exclaimed.

"I sure hope it does too, buddy," Clint said. "Your mommy owes me a snowball fight rematch anyways."

Clint glanced up at Natasha and noticed her smirk had been replaced with a glare. "You and I both know I won," Natasha said. "You forfeit anyways."

"You coerced me!" Clint exclaimed.

Natasha narrowed her eyes to slits as she glared at Clint. "Fine," she said icily. "If it snows on Christmas, we'll have a snowball fight rematch in Central Park." She lifted her arm from behind Philip's back and raised her hand to offer up to Clint for a handshake. Clint eyed her hand before raising his to grasp hers. They shook as they agreed on their snowball fight rematch that was long overdue.

* * *

"So Philip wants one of those Nintendo DS game things," Natasha said as she read the list to Clint as they lied in bed. She was curled up at his side with Philip's Christmas list held up in the air so she and Clint could both see it.

Clint scanned the rest of the list before his gaze stopped on one item towards the bottom of the page. He carefully sat up as he snatched the paper out of Natasha's hand to get a better look at Philip's list.

"Clint, what?" Natasha asked as she propped herself up on her elbow.

Clint felt a smile spread across his face. "Did you see what he wrote at the bottom?"

"No because you snatched the paper out of my hand," Natasha said with a giggle.

"Look," Clint said as he handed her Philip's Christmas list. She scanned the page until her gaze fell to the final item on the list. It was written in red crayon – different from the purple crayon everything else was written in – and it had a yellow star in front of it.

_A bow like my daddy's_, it read in Philip's untidy childish scrawl.

"Clint, he's four," Natasha said.

"But read what it says, Nat. 'Like my daddy's,'" he said as he pointed to the paper.

"I see that, Clint," Natasha said. "But we can't give him a real bow and arrow. He's four."

"Don't crush the kid's hopes and dreams," Clint said as he snatched the paper out of Natasha's hands again.

Natasha sighed. "Don't make me quote _A Christmas Story_."

Clint raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.

"Clint, he'll shoot his eye out!"

"Oh," Clint chuckled. "Come on, Tasha. He wants one. At least he was smart enough to wait two years to ask for one."

Natasha sighed again. "Well, what if we maybe get him a toy bow and arrow set?"

"Well…" Clint trailed off.

"Don't argue with me," Natasha said firmly.

"Tasha, I promised him I would teach him how to shoot a bow and arrow one day. He's four. He'll be five in April. I learned to shoot a bow and arrow when I was six. It's not a huge difference," Clint said.

Natasha narrowed her eyes to slits as she continued to glare at Clint. Finally, with a sigh, she said, "Fine. We'll get him a bow and arrow for Christmas."

"Ha! Yes! I win!" Clint cheered as he punched the air with his fist. Natasha rolled her eyes as she pushed Clint back down onto the bed and snuggled into his side so they could finish looking at Philip's Christmas list.

When they had both reached the bottom of the page, Clint shoved the list in the bedside table drawer and wrapped his arms around Natasha to pull her closer. It was going to be a particularly cold night in New York City. The temperatures were expected to reach the single digits and there was supposed to be a bit of wind, which would make it even colder.

It was nights like these Clint and Natasha loved the most. It gave Clint an excuse to go soft and cuddle with his wife while it gave Natasha an excuse to wear Clint's flannel boxers. Sometimes it was even an excuse for Philip and Emilia to spend the night in Clint and Natasha's bed. Either way it happened, nights like these were Clint and Natasha's favorite.

* * *

"Okay, pour the chocolate chips in," Natasha ordered Philip as he impatiently held the open bag of chocolate chips over the bowl of cookie dough.

"Yay!" Philip exclaimed and then dumped the bag of chocolate chips into the bowl. Natasha giggled and then began to mix the chocolate chips into the dough by hand. When all of the chocolate chips were mixed in, Natasha pulled out the cookie sheets and then handed Philip a spoon. She grabbed one for herself and they began to spoon bits of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets.

When the cookie sheets were full, Natasha and Philip put their spoons down and Natasha placed the cookie sheets in the oven so the cookies could bake. From her highchair, Emilia giggled as she banged on the empty tray in front of her. Natasha giggled and then reached into the cabinet above her to pull out a box of animal crackers. She opened the box and dumped out its contents onto the tray in front of Emilia. Emilia eyed the crackers before shoving one into her mouth, flashing Natasha a smug grin.

"Mama, can Emilia have a cookie when they're done?" Philip asked.

"No, sorry Philip, she's a little too young yet. Next year when we make them she'll be able to have them," Natasha said. The timer went off and Natasha grabbed the oven mitts to pull out the cookie sheets.

"Start scooping up pieces of cookie dough, Philip," Natasha said as she pulled off the oven mitts. "The second these cool down, I'm going to put them on the wax paper and you'll put the cookie dough on the empty sheets, okay?"

"Okay Mama!" Philip exclaimed as he excitedly grabbed his spoon to start scooping up cookie dough.

When Natasha figured the cookies were cooled down, she grabbed an oven mitt and a spatula and she started to scrape the cookies off of the sheet. She was about halfway finished with the first cookie sheet when she heard the front door slam shut.

"Daddy's home!" Philip exclaimed as he dropped his spoon into the bowl of cookie dough and ran out of the kitchen. Natasha rolled her eyes as she finished scraping the cookies off of the first cookie sheet and then moved onto the second one. She was about halfway through scraping the cookies off of the sheet when she felt Clint's arms snake around her waist. He placed a soft kiss on the curve where her neck met her shoulder and then he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked immaturely.

"Baking cookies," she said as she finished with the second cookie sheet.

"For me? You shouldn't have!" Clint said as he reached around Natasha and snatched a cookie. Before Natasha could even protest, Clint had shoved the whole cookie in his mouth. He flashed a smug grin that rivaled the one Emilia gave Natasha earlier.

"Daddy, no!" Philip exclaimed when he noticed Clint shove the cookie in his mouth. "Those are for Santa when he comes next week!"

Clint quickly chewed the cookie and swallowed. "Sorry buddy, but they're just so good," he said.

"Okay, you can have that one, but no more," Philip said as he quirked his eyebrow upward and then stepped up onto his stool to finish helping Natasha scoop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets.

Clint shook his head and then headed over to the kitchen table to sit with Emilia, who was still munching on her animal crackers. As Natasha and Philip finished with their cookies, Clint played with Emilia's animal crackers to entertain her. He made the lion growl at the elephant and the elephant replied by blowing through its trunk. This pleased Emilia beyond belief.

"Is Daddy funny, Emilia?" Natasha said with a smile as she brushed a stray curl out of Emilia's face. Emilia giggled and then shoved another animal cracker into her mouth. "Good Lord, she is your daughter," Natasha said as she looked over at Clint. "She shoved that whole cracker into her mouth."

"Shut up," Clint grumbled. "What's for dinner?"

"I was thinking we could order a pizza and then watch _Elf_," Natasha said.

Natasha heard a gasp from behind her. She turned around to see Philip standing on his stool with his eyes wide with shock. "_Elf_? We're going to watch _Elf_?" he asked.

"Yeah, is that okay with you?" Natasha asked sarcastically.

"It is fantastic with me! Let's go!" Philip said as he jumped down from his stool and ran out of the room.

Natasha shook her head out of disbelief before turning her attention back to the oven to take the remaining cookies out of the oven. She heard Clint take Emilia out of her highchair, which garnered a squeal of discontent from Emilia. Natasha set the cookie sheets on top of the stove and turned around to see Clint handing Emilia some animal crackers.

"If she keeps eating those, she's going to turn into one of those animal crackers," Natasha said.

"Oh my God, how cool would that be?" Clint exclaimed. "Our daughter would be a polar bear, or a lion, or an elephant. Oh my God, imagine having an elephant as a child, Nat!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "How many children am I raising? Two or three?"

"Don't listen to Mommy, Emilia," Clint whispered in Emilia's ear. "She's just jealous you're going to turn into an elephant and she's not." Clint poked Emilia in the belly, which garnered a giggle from the child.

Moments later, Philip appeared in the kitchen, bundled up in his winter gear. "Come on! We need to hurry up and get the pizza so we can come back and watch _Elf_!" he announced. With that, Philip stomped out of the kitchen and headed to the front door, where he waited impatiently for exactly thirteen minutes until Clint, Natasha, and Emilia were finally ready for their trek to the nearest pizzeria.

* * *

It was the night before Christmas Eve as Clint lied on top of the covers in bed as he watched the weather. From what the weather man was saying, New York City could expect at least two to four inches of snow on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. Clint could only hope that this came true because his and Natasha's snowball fight rematch was long overdue.

Clint reached for the remote and flipped off the TV. He set the remote back on the bedside table and glanced over at the closed bathroom door. Natasha had been in there for a while and Clint was wondering if she was okay. Clint figured if she didn't come out within another five minutes, he was going to knock on the door and ask if she was okay.

Clint turned his head so that he was facing the ceiling and he tucked his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes so he could mentally go over the gifts him and Natasha had bought in the last month to make sure they didn't miss anything. He was about a quarter of the way down his mental list when he heard the bathroom door open. He was relieved that Natasha was finally out of the bathroom because he was starting to get really concerned.

"So, have you been a good boy this year?" Clint heard Natasha ask. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he opened his eyes and turned his head to face the bathroom doorway. What he saw was a sight to see.

Natasha was leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom, clad in a red, lace bustier lingerie set. There was marabou trim at the top of the breast cups and at the bottom just barely brushing against the tops of Natasha's thighs. There was a small red velvet belt cinched around her waist while there was a small cutout between the breasts to reveal some skin. Her hair was curled to perfection and she was wearing a pair of her highest black high heels. Finally, atop Natasha's head, was a small red Santa hat.

"W-what?" Clint stuttered. He realized he had been staring – which was perfectly acceptable seeing as Natasha was his wife – but he still couldn't help but gawk.

Natasha playfully smirked at Clint as she took a step towards the bed, her heels clacking against the hardwood floor with each step she took. Clint was completely stricken with shock as Natasha climbed onto the bed and straddled his body. She ran her hands up his chest before cupping his face with both of her hands.

"I asked if you have been a good boy this year," Natasha purred.

"I-I…umm, m-maybe?" he answered, unsure of himself.

"It's okay," Natasha said seductively. "This doesn't count for this year. You'll just be on the naughty list next year." Natasha arched her eyebrow in seduction and it sent Clint's heart racing. It had been a while since they actually did anything like this. Of course they still had sex but they hadn't gotten this into it in God knows how long.

Clint took a deep breath to compose himself before resting his hands on her waist. "What about you? Won't you be on the naughty list too?"

"No, I'm Santa's Little Helper. I'm automatically on the nice list no matter what," she said.

"Ah, well, in that case – I mean, I _guess_ you can have your way with me," Clint said playfully.

Natasha giggled as she leaned forward and crushed her lips to Clint's. Clint's arms tightened around her waist as she became more aggressive with the kiss.

"It's been a while since we've done something like this," Clint muttered to Natasha between kisses. Natasha hummed her response as she tugged at Clint's t-shirt and he sat up to let her pull the shirt over his head.

The moment his shirt was over his head, Natasha attacked Clint's lips with hers and they fell back onto the mattress. Clint's arms wrapped around to Natasha's back and started searching for a zipper or buttons. _Something_ to start him off with undressing her. As he struggled to find a way to take the lingerie off of her, he grew frustrated and let out an irritated groan. "Jeez Nat, how the hell did you get into this thing?" he grumbled.

Natasha giggled and then pulled away from him. She grabbed his hands and then guided them to the tops of her thighs. She set them just underneath the hem of her lingerie set before leaning down again to kiss him. Clint smirked just before her lips connected with his and he ran his hands up her lingerie and rested them on her hips.

It was a lot easier to get Clint out of his clothes; it took a lot of effort to get Natasha out of her Santa's Little Helper getup. When all was said and done, they burrowed underneath the covers and made love slowly like usual. Finally, when they finished, they laid in bed next to one another with their body flush pressed up against one another. Natasha's ring hand was resting on Clint's bare chest while Clint twirled one of Natasha's red curls around his finger.

With a sigh, they both started to drift off to sleep but not before Clint pressed a kiss to Natasha's head and whispered, "Best Christmas Eve Eve ever."

* * *

Clint and Natasha had woken up around seven on Christmas morning but didn't get out of bed. They just laid there in each other's arms, half-asleep, with The Weather Channel on mute on the TV. Every so often, Clint or Natasha would glance out the window and they would see the white flakes dancing across the window. Their snowball fight rematch would be taking place later that day for sure.

It was around 7:30 when Clint and Natasha heard the bedroom door creak open, followed by the pitter-patter of tiny feet across the hardwood floor. Their bed let out a groan as Philip climbed onto the bed and then bounced up and down to wake his parents.

"Mama, Daddy, wake up! Santa came last night!" Philip exclaimed as he bounced up and down on the bed.

"Alright buddy, calm down," Clint mumbled sleepily. "Let us get up and get Emilia, then we can go downstairs."

It took a couple minutes for Clint and Natasha to actually crawl out of bed but when they did, Clint scooped Philip up in his arms while Natasha headed out of the bedroom to grab Emilia from her crib. They met in the hallway and then headed downstairs to the living room where the Christmas tree was.

When they entered the living room, Philip gasped at the sight of all the gifts under the tree. However, Clint and Natasha had to remind him that not all of them were his. Clint set Philip down on the floor and Philip rushed over to the end table where he left the milk and cookies for Santa the night before.

"Look, Mama, Daddy, Santa ate all the cookies and drank all of the milk!" Philip exclaimed.

"Guess he really needed to refuel before his next stop," Clint mused before sitting down on the couch.

Natasha joined Clint on the couch with a sleepy Emilia still in her arms. She whispered in Emilia's ear to let her know that Santa came and visited last night but she knew Emilia was still too young to understand.

Philip walked further into the living room before squatting in front of a pile of gifts to check the tags. He grabbed one of the colorfully wrapped gifts with a nametag addressed to him and then plopped down onto the floor. "Can we start opening gifts?" Philip asked hopefully.

"Yeah hang on buddy, just let me get a trash bag for the wrapping paper," Clint said as he stood up from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. Natasha rose from the couch with a now wide awake Emilia in her arms. Natasha sat down next to Philip on the floor as Philip shook the gift to help give him a guess as to what it may be.

"What do you think it is, Philip?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know!" Philip gasped excitedly.

Clint chuckled as he reentered the living room with an empty black trash bag. "Well go ahead. Tear into it," Clint said.

"Really?" Philip asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Yeah," Clint said as he sat down on the couch. Philip tore the wrapping paper off of the gift to reveal what it was. As Philip was ogling his gift, Natasha grabbed a gift from underneath the Christmas tree to help Emilia open. When the wrapping paper revealed a toy that lit up and played music, Natasha pressed a button to let it do its job. When the lights flashed and the music played, Emilia giggled and clapped her hands.

Little by little the gifts began to disappear from underneath the tree and got scattered throughout the living room. There were video games, DVDs, and stuffed animals scattered all over the living room. Bit and pieces of wrapping paper and tape littered the floor.

When almost all of the gifts were opened, Natasha glanced back at Clint for reassurance. There was still one more gift Philip had to open and it was hidden behind the tree. Clint nodded his head and Natasha turned her attention back to Philip.

"Hey Philip, I see there's one more gift all the way in the back there. Why don't you crawl back there and grab it to see whose it is," Natasha suggested. Philip nodded his head before getting down on his hands and knees and crawling underneath the Christmas tree to retrieve the gift. He pulled the colorfully wrapped gift out from underneath the tree and checked the tag to see who it was for.

"It says my name on it!" Philip gasped.

"Well, why don't you open it then?" Natasha suggested. Philip excitedly tore open the gift to reveal a plain black briefcase-like box. Philip checked the box to find a way of opening it and found a couple latches. He unlatched the box before pulling it open to reveal what was inside. When he saw the object inside, his eyes grew wide with shock.

"What is it, Philip?" Clint asked.

Philip's jaw dropped as he reached into the box and pulled out the bow that was almost as big as him. He stood up with the bow still in his hand. He lightly plucked the bow string before he glanced back into the box to find the quiver full of arrows.

"What do you have there, Philip?" Natasha asked.

"It's a bow like Daddy's!" Philip exclaimed. Philip turned to Clint, who had gotten up from the couch and knelt down on the floor next to Philip. "Are you going to teach me?"

"Of course, buddy," Clint said. "I don't think Santa would get you a bow for Christmas if he didn't think I would teach you."

A wide grin spread across Philip's face and he dropped the bow for a second to wrap his arms around Clint's neck in a hug. Clint chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his son to reciprocate the hug.

"Okay, so," Clint said when him and Philip broke apart. "It is almost eight o'clock. Think we should have some breakfast then see if we can get up to Central Park for a snowball fight?"

"Yes!" Philip exclaimed before turning to face Natasha. "Girls against boys. Daddy and me are going to win, Mama!"

"Hey now, that's not fair. Emilia can't even walk yet," Natasha said as she set Emilia in her lap and then placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Too bad, so sad," Philip said as he stuck his tongue out at Natasha.

"Fine," Natasha snapped. "I don't need a teammate to win." She stuck her tongue out at Philip and then stood up. She started to head out of the living room before turning back to Philip and Clint, who were still seated on the living room floor. "Well come on. Gear up!"

* * *

After an exhausting snowball fight in Central Park, Natasha had managed to persuade Clint to forfeit yet again with the help of little Emilia. When they had finished their epic snowball fight, they headed over to Natasha's grandparents' apartment to visit for the holiday. After spending some time with Natasha's grandparents and Natasha's father, the Barton family piled into a taxi to head back down to their townhouse in The Village.

The moment they set foot through the front door, Philip peeled his snow gear from his body and then collapsed on the couch. A couple seconds later, he was fast asleep. Clint gathered up Philip's wet snow gear, as well as his and Natasha's, and threw them in the dryer.

When Clint returned to the living room, Natasha was busy pushing all of the Christmas gifts back underneath the tree. Emilia was sitting in the middle of the living room, playing with one of her new stuffed animals. In the dim light from the Christmas tree, Clint couldn't help but stare at his beautiful wife. The way the light hit her hair made it seem like it was on fire.

"What?" Natasha asked when she noticed Clint was staring.

Clint shook his head. "Nothing, just…" he trailed off. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said with a faint smile. She glanced over at Philip, who was still passed out on the couch, and then turned around to look at Emilia. At that moment, she yawned as her eyelids slowly began to droop.

"I think we wore them out today," Natasha said.

"It was a long day," Clint added.

Natasha nodded as she stepped forward and scooped up Emilia. Natasha turned around to find Clint doing the same with Philip, who hadn't even woken up. Clint nodded towards the stairs and Natasha followed him as they headed upstairs. When they reached the floor with the bedrooms, Clint and Natasha branched off to put Emilia and Philip in their respective bedrooms.

When both children were dressed in their pajamas and fast asleep in their warm and cozy beds, Clint and Natasha retired to their bedroom. They both sat down on the edge of their bed with a sigh.

"Well, Christmas is over," Clint said with a chuckle.

"Mmmm, not yet," Natasha said before getting up from the bed. She disappeared from the room before Clint could even ask what she was talking about. Fortunately, she reappeared in the bedroom moments later with a black briefcase-like box similar to the one that held Philip's bow and arrow set.

Natasha set it on the bed next to Clint and then took a step back. She nodded to Clint as if to tell him to open it. Clint grabbed the box and turned the latches towards him. He unlatched them to pop open the box.

Inside was his bow from his childhood, only it was in pristine condition. Over the years from using it so much, the bow had suffered through a lot of wear and tear, particularly the bow string.

"I had it cleaned, buffed, and I replaced the bowstring," Natasha said as she watched Clint run his fingers over the bow. "I figured if Philip was going to have a bow, you needed yours too."

Clint felt a smile spread across his face and he stood up from the edge of the bed. He pressed a soft kiss to Natasha's lips. "I love it. Thank you," he said.

"So what did you get me?" Natasha asked playfully. "And I swear to God if you pull out another Tiffany's box, I will kick you where it hurts."

"Well…not quite," Clint said before disappearing from the room to grab his gift.

Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed and closed the case for Clint's bow to keep it safe and clean. As she was closing the locks on the case, Clint had reappeared in the bedroom with a Tiffany's box that was larger than normal. Clint sat down on the edge of the bed next to Natasha and handed her the Tiffany's box.

She hesitated to open it but she pulled off the white bow anyways. She slid the lid off of the box and pulled away the light blue cloth to reveal a sterling silver double folding picture frame. On the left side was a picture of Clint and Natasha on their wedding day almost ten years ago; the right side was currently empty.

"It's not as fantastic as your gift but I figured we should have two pictures of our weddings side-to-side," Clint said as he rested his chin on Natasha's shoulder.

"Clint, no, it's great. I love it," Natasha said as she turned her head and pressed a soft kiss to Clint's lips.

"The right side will have all four of us though," Clint explained.

"Of course," Natasha agreed.

Clint smiled. "You're sure you love it?"

"Clint, stop being ridiculous," Natasha said. "Of course I love it." She smiled at her husband before softly and passionately kissing him. They fell backwards onto the mattress and broke off the kiss so Clint could wrap his arms around Natasha.

Clint placed a soft kiss on the top of Natasha's head and whispered in her ear. "Merry Christmas Tasha."

"Merry Christmas Clint."

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it and I hope it put it you in the holiday spirit (if you don't celebrate Christmas, I'm sorry if this doesn't appeal to you). And I haven't had any Clint and Natasha sexy times in a while so I figured why not have Natasha dress up as a sexy Santa haha. Also, remember, if there's something you want to see happen with Clint and Natasha, leave your prompt in a review or inbox me (my semester is wrapping up soon so I'll be able to actually focus on all of these prompts in about a week and a half).**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	22. Daughters

**Setting/Summary: I feel like Clint and Emilia need some Father-Daughter time so in this one-shot, Natasha and Philip spend the day school shopping while Clint and Emilia are home alone. What follows is a bundle of cuteness and fluff. This is before the ten-year wedding anniversary and Christmas. Clint is 29, Natasha is 28, Philip is four, and Emilia is about five months old. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song lyrics. They belong to John Mayer.**

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you're okay with staying?" Natasha asked. "We can go another day."

"Tasha, Philip's going back to preschool in a couple of weeks. Between now and then, when exactly will you have a chance to take him school shopping?" Clint questioned. "I'm gone during the day Monday through Friday. We have a picnic to go to next weekend. The Meet the Teachers event is the following weekend, and then he starts school that Monday. Now is your only chance, so go."

Natasha sighed as she hoisted her purse onto her shoulder. "Okay," she said with a hint of a smile. "Just remember Emilia's naptime is two - ."

"Two o'clock," Clint interjected with a chuckle. "I've got this Tasha. Just because I'm not here during the week doesn't mean I don't know her schedule."

With a faint smile, Natasha pressed a soft kiss to Clint's lips before reaching down into the crib-like play pen that Emilia was situated in. She grabbed Emilia and raised her in the air so that they were eye-level. Natasha pressed a quick kiss to Emilia's cheek before handing her off to Clint.

"Tasha, go," Clint said firmly. "We'll be here when you guys get back."

Natasha sighed. "Sorry, I just don't like being away from her," she said as she gently patted down a tuft of hair on Emilia's head that was sticking up. "You know I had serious separation anxiety when I went back to work after having Philip, but I think it's worse with her because I'm with her all the time."

"Don't worry, Nat," Clint said as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Natasha's forehead. "Just go and have fun, and the two of you should get dinner when you're finished, okay?"

"Okay," Natasha agreed.

At that moment, Philip came bounding down the steps. His hair was sticking up in the back – which it had been doing as of recently – but other than that, he looked presentable.

"Alright, are we ready, love?" Natasha asked Philip.

"Mhmmm," Philip hummed.

"Alright, have fun today buddy," Clint said as he ruffled his son's hair.

Philip giggled and then Natasha took him by the hand. With one more smile to Clint, Natasha stepped over the threshold with Philip in tow before shutting the door behind them. For a split second, Clint partially expected Natasha to come barging through the door and forgo all plans to take Philip school shopping. But Clint had faith in her so he knew she wouldn't come back until Philip's school shopping was finished.

"Well Emilia, it looks like it's just you and me today," Clint said.

Emilia mumbled incoherently and Clint chuckled. Clint carried Emilia into the living room and he plopped down on the couch, setting Emilia in his lap. Clint handed Emilia one of her favorite toys – a plush, colorful caterpillar that jingled – and then searched for some cartoons on the TV.

It didn't take long for Clint and Emilia to forget the cartoons on the TV. Emilia had started tossing her plush caterpillar on the floor for Clint to retrieve, as if they were playing fetch. Clint carefully and gently tackled Emilia onto her back on the couch. He nuzzled her belly with his face and Emilia giggled in response.

Clint chuckled. "Did you like that, love?"

Emilia giggled in response.

"Alright," Clint said as he picked up Emilia. He pulled her close to his chest and he felt her head rest on top of his shoulder. "I think it's time for lunch and then naptime."

Clint got a tight grasp on his daughter as he stood up from the couch and then headed into the kitchen. He put Emilia in her highchair – much to her dismay – and then walked over to the cabinets to pick out something for Emilia to eat. Unable to decide what to feed her, Clint chose two different jars of fruit and placed them in front of Emilia to see what she would like. Emilia eyed the two jars of fruit thoughtfully before tapping the jar of pears with her hand.

"Sounds good to me," Clint said as he picked up both jars. He returned the other jar to the cabinet and then pulled out a small bowl to dump the pears into. Clint stirred the contents before returning to the kitchen table. Clint dragged a chair in front of Emilia's highchair to sit in and began to feed her, much to Emilia's delight.

When Emilia had finished her pears, Clint took her out of her highchair and cleaned her off before heading back into the living room to put her down for a nap. As per usual, Emilia wasn't going to go to sleep unless Clint sang to her. So, Clint lied down on the couch with Emilia resting on his chest. He slowly rubbed her back to soothe her as he contemplated a song to sing to her.

"What song do you want to hear today?" Clint asked the tiny child.

Emilia tilted her head so that her bright green eyes that rivaled Natasha's bore into Clint's blue-grey ones. Emilia cooed and mumbled as she tried to answer Clint's question.

Clint chuckled. "Soon you'll be able to actually answer me," he said. "Okay, how about this one?"

_I know a girl,_

_She puts the color inside of my world._

_But she's just like a maze,_

_Where all the walls all continually change._

_And I've done all I can,_

_To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands._

_Now I'm starting to see,_

_Maybe it's got nothing to do with me._

_Fathers be good to your daughters,_

_Daughters will love like you do._

_Girls become lovers who turn into mothers,_

_So mothers be good to your daughters too._

Clint had started rubbing Emilia's back again and he noticed her eyelids beginning to droop. As of recently, this tactic had been putting Emilia to sleep within two minutes. Either way, Clint kept singing.

_Oh, you see that skin?_

_It's the same she's been standing in._

_Since the day she saw him walking away,_

_Now she's left cleaning up the mess he made._

_So fathers be good to your daughters,_

_Daughters will love like you do._

_Girls become lovers who turn into mothers,_

_So mothers be good to your daughters too._

Emilia's eyes had completely closed but he knew she was still awake just by the way her breathing was. It wouldn't be for another minute until she was actually completely asleep.

_Boys, you can break,_

_You'll find out how much they can take._

_Boys will be strong,_

_And boys soldier on._

_But boys will be gone without the warmth from_

_A woman's good, good heart._

_On behalf of every man,_

_Looking out for every girl,_

_You are the god and the weight of her world._

Clint glanced at Emilia and knew that she was fast asleep. Even though she was already asleep, Clint was determined to finish out the song like he usually did.

_So fathers be good to your daughters,_

_Daughters will love like you do._

_Girls become lovers who turn into mothers._

_So mothers be good to your daughters too._

_So mothers be good to your daughters too._

_So mothers be good to your daughters too._

With a smile, Clint sat up with a protective hand on Emilia's head so that he didn't jostle her awake. He stood up from the couch and crossed the room to place her in her play pen. He placed a quick kiss on her head before setting her down for her nap and covering her up with her fuzzy pink blanket.

With a sigh, Clint made his way back over to the couch and flopped down on it. It was strange to have alone time in a completely silent house. Even when Emilia would nap, there was no time to rest. Clint would usually color or play with Philip while Natasha cleaned up some of the messes from the day. By the time the mess was cleaned up and Philip grew bored with the activity, Emilia would wake from her nap and the chance for rest and relaxation would pass.

But now, Clint didn't know what to do with himself. He considered turning on the TV and watching a movie or something but he didn't want to risk waking up Emilia. Out of sheer boredom, Clint got up from the couch and roamed into the kitchen to find a snack for himself.

As he sat at the kitchen table eating from a bag of tortilla chips, Clint absentmindedly stared at the clock. Emilia hadn't even been asleep for fifteen minutes and Clint was already wishing she would wake up. At one point he had contemplated waking her up so he had someone to keep him company but he knew that would only bring out Emilia's cranky side. So, unfortunately, Clint continued to sit at the kitchen table, staring at the clock for the remainder of Emilia's nap.

When Clint heard Emilia finally woke up from her nap, he rushed into the living room out of excitement that she was awake. Clint grinned from ear-to-ear as he lifted Emilia from her play pen and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Mommy shouldn't leave me alone with you ever again. I'm bored when you take a nap," Clint said as he poked Emilia in the belly. The little girl giggled in response and Clint smiled at the glorious sound.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day, hmm?" Clint asked. "Mommy and Philip won't be coming back for a couple more hours so it's still just you and me."

Emilia stared at Clint with her big green eyes as she gnawed on her pointer finger. A grin spread across her face as she giggled at Clint. Every single thing that Emilia did practically reminded him of Natasha. Natasha still wasn't convinced, claiming that Emilia was still too young to show signs of being similar to her, but everything about her screamed Natasha. Her mannerisms. Her smile. But most importantly, her eyes, which contributed to the way Emilia looked at Clint. Natasha's green eyes were one of the reasons Clint fell in love with her, so Emilia definitely wasn't an exception.

"You're going to grow up to look just like your mommy. I just know it," Clint said endearingly. "You're going to have the red hair that stands out in a crowd. You're going to have the smile that breaks all the boys' hearts. And you're going to have the green eyes that take everyone's breaths away."

Emilia stared back at him blankly and Clint thought about what he said. "Okay, forget that I mentioned breaking boys' hearts," Clint said with a chuckle. "Boys are bad news. You're not allowed to date. You're not allowed to talk to boys. Don't even look at them. Got it?"

Emilia flashed a devilish grin to Clint and giggled.

"Oh you are going to be a handful. I can tell already," Clint said with a chuckle.

For the rest of the day and into the night, Clint and Emilia sat on the living room floor playing with Emilia's toys. Clint's legs were spread out in a V while Emilia sat in between them with her back resting up against Clint's stomach. Every so often Emilia would tilt her head back and flash Clint the sweetest of smiles that would make his heart race.

It was around 6:30 when the front door swung open and Philip and Natasha stepped into the house with several shopping bags in their hands.

"Hi Daddy!" Philip chirped as he dropped the shopping bags by the door and walked into the living room to sit next to Clint.

"Hey buddy, did you and Mommy have fun today?" Clint asked.

"Mhmm," Philip hummed. "We even went to Pinkberry after dinner!"

Natasha strode into the living room and Clint glanced up at her. "Where's _our_ Pinkberry, huh?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh don't be such a baby," Natasha retorted. She crouched down in front of Emilia – who was still preoccupied with one of her toys – and she reached her arms out for the small child. Clint picked up Emilia and handed her to Natasha and then stood up to join his wife and daughter.

"I missed you today," Clint heard Natasha whisper in Emilia's ear.

"Mama, can I give Emilia her present?" Philip asked hopefully.

"Sure, love," Natasha said.

Philip raced to the front door where the shopping bags were. He dug around in a red bag before pulling out a stuffed animal. He rushed back into the living room and then offered up the item to Natasha to give to Emilia.

"Thank you Philip," Natasha said as she took the small stuffed animal. She turned back to Emilia and handed her the small pink elephant with the floppy ears. "This is for you Emilia."

Emilia stared at the stuffed animal for a couple seconds before grabbing hold of it and then shaking it with a giggle.

"Hey, where's my present? No Pinkberry and no present? This day sucks," Clint whined sarcastically.

"Oh quit your whining. You got to spend the day with your daughter. That should be a good enough gift," Natasha countered with a smirk.

"Touché, but if you give me a kiss we'll call it even," Clint said with an arch of one of his eyebrows.

Natasha giggled before leaning in to kiss Clint. Clint hadn't really been asking for much when it came to this kiss, but he could feel Natasha getting into it. The kiss had started to deepen slightly when Emilia interrupted by pressing her hand into the side of Natasha's face. Natasha pulled away from Clint to see Emilia gnawing on her pointer finger with a mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Oh, I see," Natasha said playfully. "You're jealous. You're jealous that someone other than you is kissing your daddy, aren't you?"

Emilia giggled in response as she continued to chew on her finger.

"Hmm, remind you of someone?" Clint whispered sarcastically in Natasha's ear.

Natasha giggled as she felt a smile spread across her face. "Like mother, like daughter."

* * *

**How cute. I just HAD to throw in a talk about boys. She's only 5 months old and Clint's teaching her that boys are bad haha. Remember, if there's a one-shot you'd like me to write for Clint and Natasha, leave it in a review or inbox it to me. I promise I will get to them once my semester wraps in about two weeks. I'd rather be fully focused on your prompts instead of half assing them so I don't disappoint.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated (and they help motivate me to write) so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think.**


	23. A Parent's Worst Nightmare

**Setting/Summary: This one-shot was requested by several of my readers, including ClintashaFan, Pati G W Black, Novacaine123/Lighty-the-fockal, and HMG2000. I'm not going to say what's going to happen because I want it to be a surprise. This is going to happen about a month after Clint and Natasha's ten year wedding anniversary. So Clint is still 30, Natasha is 29, Philip is 5, and Emilia is about 16 months (a little over a year old). If you requested this and I forgot to credit you, let me know and I'll give you credit in the next one-shot. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clint and Natasha strolled through Central Park with Emilia in her stroller and Philip happily skipping along the walkway next to Clint. It was a particularly scorching hot day in the middle of July so the Bartons weren't quite sure why they were outside as opposed to the cool air conditioning at their townhouse in The Village but both Philip and Emilia didn't seem to mind.

Philip skipped forward, trying to avoid the cracks in the walkway. His eyes were trained on his feet so he wasn't paying attention to where he was going when he ran into a person who was standing still on the walkway. Philip failed to catch his balance and he landed on his butt on the hard sidewalk. Clint rushed over to Philip to help him up and check to make sure he was okay.

"Hey buddy, you've got to watch where you're going," Clint said as he checked Philip for any bumps or scrapes. When Clint figured Philip was okay, he turned his attention to the person Philip ran into to apologize for his son's behavior. The person he locked eyes with was the last person he expected to see.

Mrs. Romanoff was staring back at Clint with her tired brown eyes. Her face was starting to wrinkle from age and her red hair was starting to lose some of its color. Behind her stood who only Clint could guess was Victor Von Doom.

"Oh, hello Clint," Mrs. Romanoff said.

"H-hi, Mrs. Romanoff," Clint stuttered.

"Ah, Mrs. Von Doom now, but please, call me Vera," Natasha's mother said.

"Umm, okay," Clint said. He wasn't quite sure what to say. The last time Natasha had seen her mother was the custody hearing back when they were in high school. Since then, she hadn't had any contact with her mother whatsoever.

As for Clint, he couldn't quite remember the last time he had seen Natasha's mother either. He was quite certain that the last time he saw her was the first time he met her when the dinner they were having had turned into a shouting match between Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff. Otherwise, Clint had only seen glimpses of her since then. But now, this was the first time in a while he was seeing her.

"So, how have you been?" Natasha's mother asked sweetly.

"Oh, umm, good, I guess. How about you?" Clint asked, only asking to be polite.

"Oh I'm good. Thank you for asking," she said.

"Look, I'd love to stay and chat but we have somewhere to be," Clint lied.

"We do?" Philip asked, arching his eyebrow in confusion as he looked up at Clint.

"Yeah, we have that thing at that place," Clint said. He didn't want to teach his son to lie but it was absolutely necessary in this situation. Clint just hoped Philip played along.

"_Oh_," Philip said. "Yeah, okay. We need to go, lady."

Natasha's mother giggled before crouching down so that she was eye level with Philip. "And who might you be?" she inquired.

"Philip James Barton," Philip announced.

"And how old are you, Philip?"

"I'm five."

"Wow," Natasha's mom gasped. "I'd have to say you look just like your father." Natasha's mother glanced up at Clint and smirked at him. She was trying to get at something and Clint had to put a stop to it.

"Mhmmm," Philip hummed. "I look just like my daddy and my sister looks just like my mommy."

"And who's your mommy, Philip?"

"Okay Philip, say goodbye. We need to go," Clint said quickly before Philip could answer. Clint turned his attention back to Natasha's mother, who had stood up straight so that she was eye level with Clint now. Clint felt Philip slid his hand into his and Clint held on tight. He knew that if he didn't, he might just hit Natasha's mother.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but there's a reason we haven't tried to contact you over the years," Clint sneered. "I think it's best you go join your husband and forget this even happened."

"Clint, I just want to get to know my grandchildren. Is that so much to ask?" Natasha's mother asked innocently.

"Yes, it is," Clint growled before turning on his heel and pulling Philip along with him. Clint noticed the walkway behind him was empty so Clint figured Natasha must have fled the moment she saw her mother.

The moment Clint was far out of earshot of Natasha's mother and Mr. Von Doom, Clint found the nearest bench and him and Philip took a seat. Clint pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Natasha. The phone rang twice before Natasha picked up and when she did, Clint could tell she was panicking.

"It's okay, Nat. Tell me where you are and Philip and I will come find you," Clint said.

"We're at Turtle Pond," Natasha said as her voice shook.

"Natasha, it's okay. We're coming," Clint said as he stood up and took Philip by the hand. "Do you want to stay on the phone with me?"

"No, I'm fine. Just…come find us, okay?" Natasha asked.

Clint told Natasha they were coming and he hung up the phone. He shoved it back into his pocket and then he focused on making his way to Turtle Pond. After a couple seconds, he felt Philip struggling to keep up with him and Clint realized he was walking a little too fast for Philip. He slowed down and apologized to his son.

"It's okay, Daddy," Philip said. They walked in silence as they headed to Turtle Pond but it wasn't long until Philip broke the silence. "Daddy, who was that lady?"

"No one important, Philip," Clint said, brushing off Philip's question.

"But she seemed important. She was dressed nicely," Philip said.

"She was, wasn't she?" Clint said with a chuckle. Leave it up to his son to notice all the details including what she was wearing.

"So who was she?" Philip asked again.

"Umm, let's wait until we find Mommy, okay?"

Philip nodded his head in understanding and then didn't say another word until they reached Turtle Pond. When they found Natasha and Emilia, they were standing near the edge of the pond while Emilia tossed bread crumbs into the water for the ducks. Philip immediately ran over and joined his sister while Clint went to stand next to Natasha. Natasha's arms immediately snaked around Clint's neck and her head rested against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in comfort and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I guess I had to face it eventually," Natasha mumbled into his chest. "I just wasn't ready. I wasn't expecting to run into her."

"I know, Nat," Clint said as he rubbed her back. "She wants to get to know Philip and Emilia but I told her no. I figured that's what you'd tell her."

"And that's what we'll keep telling her if she persists," Natasha said as she pulled away from Clint. She looked up to find Clint's blue-grey eyes staring into hers. "I don't want Philip and Emilia around her. I don't think there's a chance she's changed so I don't want her to be around to influence them."

"She won't, Tasha. I'll make sure of it," Clint said before pressing a soft kiss to Natasha's lips. Natasha faintly smiled at him before pulling away and turning back to Philip and Emilia. Emilia was giggling as one of the ducks ate the bread crumb she tossed at it and Philip was congratulating her on a job well done.

Clint and Natasha made their way over to their children to join them in the festivities. The four of them tossed bread crumbs to the ducks until their bag was empty. Natasha strapped Emilia back into her stroller while Clint took Philip by the hand so they could head home to sit in the nice, cool air conditioning.

* * *

It had been a week since Natasha and Clint ran into Natasha's mother in Central Park and not once did they hear from her. Natasha had expected her mother to try to call her or show up on her doorstep. But it had only been a week so there was still plenty of time for Natasha's mother to do one of those things. Since then, Clint and Natasha had avoided going to Central Park and instead, stuck to small parks closer to their townhouse in The Village.

It was another scorching hot day in July as Clint and Natasha sat watching Philip play on the monkey bars with his cousin, Brody, and Pepper and Tony's daughter, Olivia. Many of Clint and Natasha's family and friends were in the city for a small vacation and to play catch up with one another. Pepper and Peggy – who was balancing her son, Samuel, on her hip – were standing on the edge of the playground, keeping a closer watch over the children. The men were sitting on benches on the edge of the playground, chatting about sports and politics while most of the women were seated on a blanket under a tree.

"They're both getting so big," Jane said as she looked over at Emilia and her daughter, Athena, picking flowers from the grass. "Where did the time go?"

"It's harder to believe the older they get," Barney's wife, Rosie, chimed in. The month after Clint and Natasha had celebrated their nine year wedding anniversary, Barney and Rosie finally tied the knot on a beach in Palermo, Italy. It was a small affair with only about 20 guests, including Clint, Natasha, and the kids but it was good enough for Rosie. As long as she married Barney, she didn't care.

At that moment, Emilia toddled over to Natasha and handed her a flower she had picked.

"Did you pick this for me?" Natasha asked. Emilia nodded her head in response, her red curls bouncing up and down as she did so. "Well, thank you so much, love."

It wasn't much longer until the two young girls tired themselves out and plopped down on the blanket for a much needed nap in the shade. Natasha lied down next to Emilia and propped herself up on her elbow. She slowly rubbed Emilia's back to help her fall asleep and within moments, she was fast asleep.

Jane, Rosie, and Natasha were busy having a conversation about their children's sleeping habits when Brody and Olivia ran up to the women lying on the blanket. Olivia was trembling from head-to-toe while Brody's eyes were wide with shock.

"Aunt Natasha, someone took Philip!" Brody exclaimed.

Natasha shot upright and looked at Brody in shock. "I'm sorry, what did you say, Brody?"

"Someone took Philip. We were behind the swirly slide and a man came up and took him. He covered his mouth so he couldn't scream," Brody said.

Natasha glanced over at the playground and saw that there was no sign of Philip. The view of the swirly slide, however, was obstructed by another slide in front of it. Whoever took Philip had their priorities straight.

"Watch Emilia. Brody, Olivia, stay here," Natasha ordered as she jumped up and headed for the playground. This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was happening. She hoped this was a bad dream. She was going to wake up underneath the tree in the park with Emilia sleeping soundly next to her and she would look over at the playground to find Philip playing with Brody and Olivia. But this wasn't a bad dream. This was her nightmare, her living nightmare.

Natasha frantically searched through the crowd of children climbing on the jungle gym and emerging from the swirly slide but none of them were Philip. This was happening. This was really happening. Her son had been kidnapped and there was a possibility he wouldn't come back.

"Tasha, hey, it's okay. We'll find him," Natasha heard Clint say from behind her as he protectively wrapped his arms around her body. "Jane told me. We'll find him. I swear we will."

Natasha nodded as she felt the hot tears starting to slide down her cheeks. She felt like a horrible mother for not watching him closer. But someone had been watching him. Peggy and Pepper had been standing at the edge of the playground, watching the children play. But even Natasha knew their view of the swirly slide had been blocked. She didn't blame them for not knowing.

"Come on," Clint whispered in her ear as he pulled her back towards the blanket under the tree where everyone was now gathered. When they reached the blanket, Olivia was sobbing into Pepper's shoulder while Brody had a permanent frown fixed on his face.

"I tried to stop him Aunt Tasha but he pushed me!" Brody exclaimed when he saw Natasha. "And then Olivia tried to stop him and he pushed her too!"

"It's okay, Brody," Natasha said as her voice shook. She sat down on the blanket next to Emilia and carefully lifted her up from the blanket so as not to wake her. Natasha cradled Emilia against her chest with her head resting against Natasha's shoulder.

"I just called the police. They're on their way," Peggy said as she slid her phone into her back pocket.

Wordlessly, Natasha nodded her head as her grip on Emilia tightened. She still had Emilia and she wasn't going to let her out of her sight for the rest of the day. Hell, maybe for the rest of her life. But the thought of her first-born being somewhere with some stranger scared her. She just hoped that whoever took him had a little sympathy in them to not do anything drastic.

* * *

It was rough being questioned by the police. Every single question made Natasha want to break down in tears. It wasn't long until they started accusing Natasha and Clint of bad parenting. They didn't outright say it, but it was implied when both Natasha and Clint confessed that neither one of them was watching him when he was taken.

When the police had finished their questioning, the group packed up their stuff and headed their separate ways. Thor and Jane had offered to stay at the house with them to keep them company but Clint and Natasha wanted alone time.

It was later that night after Clint had put Emilia to bed when he found Natasha sitting on the edge of Philip's bed in his room, staring blankly at the Derek Jeter poster on the wall. Earlier in the summer, they had taken Philip to a Yankees game and Philip had been captivated by Jeter. It was at that game when Philip voiced his dream to become a professional baseball player just like Jeter.

"Nat, come to bed," Clint said softly.

"What if they don't find him?" Natasha choked out. She hadn't cried at all. She had been bottling it all up to stay strong for Emilia. But now, she wasn't sure how much longer she could last.

"They'll find him."

"It's a big city, Clint."

Clint crossed the room and kneeled in front of Natasha. He placed both of his hands on her knees and looked up into her eyes. The rims of her eyes were red and Clint could see the tears pooling in the corners.

"I will get him back," Clint said. "I will do _everything_ to bring him back to us. Do you understand me?"

Natasha nodded her head but she could contain the tears that threatened to spill over. She buried her face in her hands and Clint instinctively scooped her up in his arms bridal-style to carry her back to their bedroom. On his way out of Philip's room, he shut the door behind him because he himself couldn't even bear to look in there anymore.

When he walked into their bedroom, he gently laid Natasha down on the bed. Crawling onto the bed, he curled up behind her, resting his arm across her body and linking his fingers through hers. Clint knew there was nothing that would be able to calm her down so he just held her in his arms until the two of them drifted off to sleep from exhaustion.

* * *

It was in the wee hours of the morning when Clint felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. In his half-asleep state, he didn't quite realize what it was until he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When he realized it was his phone, he frantically reached into his pocket and answered it without even checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" Clint said groggily.

"Daddy?"

Clint felt his heart stop as he heard the sound of his son's voice on the other end of the line. Clint shot upright in bed as he pressed his phone harder into his ear. "Philip, oh my God! Hey, buddy, where are you?" Clint exclaimed, not even worrying about keeping his voice down. Clint felt Natasha stir next to him and he glanced behind him to see her rubbing her eyes.

"Clint, what's going on?" she mumbled sleepily.

Without saying a word, Clint tapped the screen on his phone to turn on the speaker. "Tell me where you are," Clint said into the phone.

"I don't know," Philip said. "Where's 755 Park Avenue?"

Natasha sat bolt upright in bed as she stared at the phone in Clint's hand. "Philip? Oh my God, Philip, honey, you're okay!" Natasha exclaimed as she felt tears sting in the corners of her eyes.

"Mama, I'm so sorry. The man, he just took me!" Philip said.

"Philip, it's okay," Natasha said as she choked back tears. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm okay, Mama," Philip said. "But I want to come home."

"Where are you, Philip?" Clint asked.

"I think I'm at 755 Park Avenue. I have a letter that I took from the table," Philip said.

"Philip," Clint said firmly. "There has to be a name on that letter. Who is it addressed to?"

"Hmmm," Philip hummed. Clint and Natasha heard the rustling of paper as Philip most likely flipped it over to check who it was addressed to. "It says Von Doom."

Clint and Natasha felt their blood run cold at the mentioning of Natasha's mother's husband. The fact that Natasha's mother's husband, or someone who works for him, was the one who kidnapped Philip angered both Clint and Natasha. And the fact that Natasha's mother was definitely the one behind all this didn't make it any better.

"Well that's a weird name," Philip added and Clint and Natasha couldn't help but laugh. "Mama, Daddy, can I come home? I want to come home."

"We're coming Philip. Don't worry. Just hang tight," Clint said.

"Okay, I love you, Mama. I love you, Daddy," Philip said.

Natasha let out a strangled sob as tears slid down her cheeks. "I love you too, Philip."

Natasha and Clint said goodbye to their son and Clint disconnected the call. He shoved his phone into his pants pocket before getting up from the bed.

"I'm going there. Stay here with Emilia," Clint ordered before heading out of the room.

"What? Clint, no!" Natasha exclaimed as she followed Clint down the stairs. She followed him down the stairs, both of them walking down in silence until Clint turned around to face Natasha once he reached the bottom of the steps.

"I told you I'd bring him back to us. I'm keeping that promise," Clint said.

"Clint, please, let the cops handle it. We'll call them and we can meet them there," Natasha said.

Clint drew in a deep breath before letting it out. "Just stay here with Emilia," he said and then he turned on his heel to walk out the front door. Not even his wife's panicked cries, which absolutely killed him to hear, could make him turn around.

* * *

Clint walked into 755 Park Avenue with determination. He was getting his son back and he didn't care if he hurt anyone in the process. When he had arrived, he had asked the doorman which apartment the Von Dooms lived in and the doorman politely responded by telling him it was the penthouse at the top of the building. Clint stomped through the lobby and jammed his thumb on the elevator button. The elevator doors slid open immediately and Clint stepped on, pressing the "P" button for the penthouse.

It was only when the elevator gave a sickening lurch to begin its ascent did Clint realize what he was doing. He hadn't really thought things through. All he wanted was his son home, safe and sound, but he didn't really know what he was walking into. This was Victor Von Doom, the man behind Von Doom Industries. There was no telling what kind of security he had. And since he was wealthy, he probably owned several firearms for self-defense purposes in the event of someone breaking into his house.

The elevator dinged as it reached the floor the penthouse was located on. The doors slid open to reveal a gold foyer with a white door that was the entrance to the penthouse. Clint took a deep breath and he stomped forward. He swung his leg up and kicked in the door. Thankfully, no alarm system went off so Clint stepped forward into the dark penthouse.

"Philip!" Clint screamed at the top of his lungs. He didn't care if Mr. Von Doom or Natasha's mother heard. In fact, he wanted them to come out and face him.

"Daddy?" Clint heard Philip's voice from somewhere close in the apartment. Clint picked up his pace, peeking into every room he passed to find Philip. Clint finally found Philip in the third room on the right, huddled on top of a bed with his knees hugged close to his chest. Clint rushed over to Philip and quickly enveloped him in a hug. He kissed his son on top of his head before hugging him tighter.

"Well Clint, it's lovely to see you again," Clint heard a soft voice from the doorway. He turned his head to see Natasha's mother leaning up against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest.

"You're going to go to fucking jail for this," Clint spat. "We're pressing charges, the whole nine yards."

"Watch your language. Your son is in the room," Natasha's mother scolded.

"You're not my mother. You're not Natasha's mother anymore. You can't tell me what to do," Clint retorted. "I'm taking my son and we're going home."

"Hmm, no," Natasha's mother mused. She stepped forward and pried Philip from Clint's arms, which earned a scream from Philip. "I have a right to know my grandchildren."

"By kidnapping Philip? God, you are fucked up in the head."

"Victor," Natasha's mother said softly.

Victor Von Doom appeared in the room and grabbed Clint by the shirt. He pushed Clint into the wall and then pinned him against it with his forearm pressed up against his throat.

"Daddy!" Philip screamed.

For a split second, Victor lost his focus and Clint was able to gain the upper hand. He shoved Victor's forearm off of his throat before twisting his arm, making the billionaire yelp in pain. Clint kicked him behind the knees, causing Victor's knees to buckle. But he wasn't down for long. Clint was caught off guard when Victor grabbed him by the arm and his shirt and slammed his face into the glass of a framed portrait hanging on the wall.

Clint cussed as he felt the sting of the glass cut through his skin right above his eyebrow. Hot red blood trickled down his face and dripped from his face onto his shirt. Victor shoved Clint's face further into the frame, causing the glass to crunch underneath.

Suddenly, there was the sound of shattering glass as Victor's grip on Clint disappeared. There was a thud as Clint turned around and found Victor lying on the floor, delirious and covered in glass. As he stared as Victor in shock, Clint felt the soft hands of his wife gently stroke the side of his face.

"Clint, look at me," she said softly. Clint turned his head to face her and he was met with the bright green eyes of his wife. The moment their gazes locked, Natasha walked away to pull one of the pillowcases off of a pillow. She returned to his side and gently dabbed at the cut above his eyebrow with the pillowcase. Clint hissed in pain but he got used to it once the fabric was permanently pressed to his skin.

Once Natasha had tended to Clint, she turned around to face her mother, who was standing on the other side of the room in shock. Natasha glared at her mother while she took several steps forward. Natasha's mother took a step backwards before bumping into the wall.

"Give me my son," Natasha said through clenched teeth.

Natasha's mother stood in silence as she continued to stare at her daughter with wide eyes.

"Either you give me my son now, or when the police pry him from your arms to arrest you. Your choice. Either way, you're walking out of here in handcuffs," Natasha spat.

Natasha's mother looked back and forth from Natasha and Philip before handing him over to Natasha. Natasha sighed as she hugged Philip tightly and buried her face in his hair. She pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head before burying her face into his hair again.

"Hello? Police!" said a voice from the hallway.

"Third door on the right!" Natasha called out as she shot a nasty glare at her mother for one last time. Natasha walked out of the room the moment the police appeared at the door. She nodded her head in the direction of her mother before disappearing from view.

"And him too," Clint said as he pointed to the unconscious Victor Von Doom on the floor. One of the police officers nodded in understanding and Clint slipped from the room to go find Natasha and Philip. Clint walked down the hall until he found Natasha and Philip sitting on the couch in the one of the living rooms at the beginning of the hall. He strode into the room and sat down next to the two of them.

"It's over, Nat," Clint whispered.

Natasha nodded silently as she brushed some hair off of Philip's forehead. Philip yawned before resting his head on Natasha's shoulder. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep. Natasha turned to face Clint and reached up to pull the pillowcase from his face. The wound was still bleeding but not as much as it originally was. He would still need to get it checked out so it didn't get infected.

"Don't ever run off like that ever again," Natasha snapped as she lightly punched him in the arm.

"I won't, Tasha. I promise," Clint said softly.

Natasha nodded in understanding before resting her own head on Clint's shoulder. Clint wrapped an arm around Natasha's shoulders and carefully leaned back to rest against the back of the couch. It wasn't long before sleep took over the Barton family to dream away the past several hours of insanity.

* * *

**How's that for drama involving Mrs. Romanoff? Or I guess it's Mrs. Von Doom now haha. You get my point. Remember, if there's a prompt you'd like me to write about involving Clint and Natasha, leave it in a review or send it to me via my inbox.**

**Also, for those of you who don't have alerts for _To Rome With Love_, I did mention in the update last night that I was thinking about writing a fic for _The Town_ (2010 film starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner who plays our lovely Clint Barton/Hawkeye). The story will obviously be about Jem, Renner's character in the film. Let's face it, Jem was the way he was because he had no one to love him so I'm going to write a story about Jem getting some love haha. If you're interested, please let me know. I feel like _The Town_ fics don't have a lot of readers so I don't want to post it if no one is interested.**

**Alright, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated and they motivate me to write so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	24. Young Love

**Setting/Summary: It's Philip's first day of kindergarten! Though scared at first, Philip comes home excited because…he likes a girl! Meanwhile, Emilia says she has a crush on Steve's son, Samuel, and Clint **_**does not**_** like that. Clint is 30, Natasha is 29, Philip is 5, and Emilia is about 18 months old. This one-shot prompt was inspired by a review from Lollypops101. This one can also be for Love Your Troops who wanted a protective Clint, but that's for when Emilia get older (which I'll still do). Enjoy!**

* * *

"But Mama, I want to stay home with you!" Philip whined as they walked to the elementary school Philip would be attending.

"But you like school, love," Natasha said as her grip on Philip's hand tightened. She was nervous about Philip starting at a new school with new teachers and classmates but she couldn't let it show.

"I don't know these people," Philip pouted. "I want to go back to my other school."

"You can't buddy," Clint chimed in. He had asked his supervisor if he could go into work late so he could take Philip to school for his first day. "You're too old to go there now."

"B-but…I don't feel good. Oh no, I think I'm gonna throw up!" Philip feigned.

"Nice try buddy," Clint said as they arrived outside of Philip's new school. "You'll meet lots of new people and make new friends. Just be yourself."

"Okay," Philip said dejectedly.

"Hey," Natasha said as she crouched to be at eye-level with Philip. "Emilia and I will be right here when you get out at 3:30."

"Okay, Mama," Philip said quietly.

"Can I have a hug?" Natasha asked. Philip nodded his head and stepped forward to wrap his arms around Natasha. Natasha squeezed him tightly and swallowed to choke back the tears she could feel stinging the corners of her eyes. "Okay, make lots of friends," Natasha said when she pulled away from Philip. "And have a good day, okay?"

Philip nodded before turning to Clint. "Come here, buddy," Clint said as he crouched down to receive a hug from Philip. "Have a good day okay? I'll see you when I get home from work."

"Okay Daddy," Philip said as he pulled away from Clint. They heard a bell reverberate through the halls of the school as a last call for students. Hesitantly, Philip took a step towards the front steps of the school before looking back at his parents. They gave him an encouraging nod and he turned back around to head into the school.

"Philip!" Emilia cried from her stroller as she reached out for her older brother.

Philip turned around and waved at Emilia. "Bye Emilia," he said. With one last look at his parents, he climbed the steps of the school and disappeared into the building. The doors closed with a haunting _bang_ as an eerie silence fell through the street.

"You okay?" Natasha heard Clint whisper in her ear. She nodded her head; she wasn't quite sure she could answer because her voice would give her away. "He'll be okay, Nat." Clint grabbed her by the hand and then grabbed Emilia's stroller to head back home.

"He's so grown up," Natasha muttered. "How is he five and in kindergarten already? Before we know it, Emilia will be doing the same."

"Oh no," Clint interjected. "Emilia isn't allowed to grow up. I forbid it. Daddy says so."

Natasha let out a nervous giggle. "Did you hear that, Emilia?" Natasha asked her youngest child. "You're not allowed to grow up because Daddy says so. And Daddy's the boss so you have to do as he says."

"No!" Emilia squealed as she threw her arms up in the air.

"I always knew she would be a handful," Clint said as he shook his head. They reached their townhouse and Clint bent down and unstrapped Emilia from her stroller so Natasha could fold it up. They climbed the steps and headed into the empty and eerily silent house.

* * *

As promised, Natasha and Emilia were waiting for Philip when school let out at 3:30. The bell rang and the doors burst open, letting out the crowd of elementary age students. Natasha spotted Philip in the crowd, talking to two other boys with a smile on his face. Just the sight of seeing Philip smiling made Natasha smile too and it could only mean that he'd had a good first day of kindergarten.

"Hi Mama! Hi Emilia!" Philip exclaimed when he bounded up to his mother and sister.

"Hi love. I'm guessing you had a good first day?" Natasha asked as she smoothed down a piece of his hair that was sticking up.

"Mhmm," Philip said as he followed his mother down the sidewalk. "I made two friends."

"That's great, Philip," Natasha replied enthusiastically.

"I can still keep my friends from my other school right?" he asked.

"Of course Philip," Natasha said.

"Good," Philip said. They walked down the sidewalk in silence for a couple minutes until Philip broke the silence. "Mama, when did you know you were in love with Daddy?"

"Oh, I guess when I first met him," Natasha said. "Why do you ask, Philip?"

"I think I'm in love, Mama."

Natasha stopped dead in her tracks and looked down at Philip in confusion. "What?" she asked.

"There's this girl in my class and she's so pretty. And everyone worships her because she's heaven," Philip said.

"W-well, did you talk to her?" Natasha asked.

"No," Philip said, casting his eyes downward. "She doesn't even know I exist."

"Philip, it's only the first day of school. You don't know everyone yet," Natasha said with a nervous laugh.

"All the boys like her," Philip said. "It's hard to talk to her."

"You'll have another chance, Philip," Natasha said as she started pushing Emilia's stroller forward again. Philip grew silent as he held onto Emilia's stroller. Clearly the conversation was over.

But Natasha couldn't help but think. When Natasha met Clint, she didn't know she was in love with him. They had been young; they didn't know what that meant. Over the years, they realized that that's what it was. They had been in love with each other. But the fact that her son had outright said that he was in love had Natasha convinced that this was just a crush. She didn't want to crush his dreams so she just kept her mouth shut. There was nothing worse than being told that you were too young to be in love seeing as Natasha and Clint had been told the same thing.

However, she wasn't quite sure how to tell Clint that their son was in love.

* * *

It was later that night as Clint and Natasha were cuddling in bed when Natasha decided to tell Clint. Natasha thought Philip would tell Clint about it while they were discussing his first day of school during dinner but he didn't. Natasha was disappointed. She thought Philip would feel comfortable telling his dad but apparently he wasn't. Philip knew Clint was very protective so maybe that was why he decided to leave out the fact that he was in love with one of his classmates.

"Clint, if I tell you something, do you promise to keep your mouth shut?" Natasha asked.

"Umm, yeah?" Clint asked uneasily.

"Philip left out a small detail about his first day of school," Natasha said. "When I picked him up from school, he told me…that he's in love."

Clint stared at her for a second before snorting a laugh. "Clint, stop," Natasha whined. "Why is this funny?"

"He's five, Tasha," Clint said.

"He said the girl didn't even know he existed," Natasha said. "And he used the most perfect description for her."

"What'd he say?"

"He said everyone worships her because she's heaven," Natasha repeated her son's words.

Clint blinked at Natasha. "Well, our son's in love. No question about it."

"_Now_ you find it believable?" Natasha asked.

"Well, he is my son," Clint said with a smirk. "And I'm a hopeless romantic so it must've rubbed off on him."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"But I'm _your_ idiot."

Natasha rolled her eyes again but giggled at the same time. She reached up and pressed a soft kiss to Clint's lips. Maybe he was right. Philip had always been just like Clint so it wasn't a surprise that Philip would have Clint's charm and romantic qualities. But how to fix the problem that this girl didn't know he existed, Natasha wasn't sure.

* * *

It was on Friday of that week when Natasha, Peggy, and Jane decided to have a play date in the park. Natasha and Emilia had dropped Philip off at school as usual and then headed up to Central Park to meet up with Peggy and Jane. When they arrived at the park, they found Peggy and Jane lying on the grass in the shade by Turtle Pond. Natasha and Emilia joined them on the blanket before Emilia ran off to join Samuel and Athena at the edge of the pond.

"So, we hear Philip's in love," Peggy said, turning to Natasha.

"Oh God, I told Clint to keep his mouth shut," Natasha whined.

Peggy and Jane giggled. "Aw, no, it's cute," Jane said. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name's Aurora," Natasha said. "He told me yesterday on the way home from school."

"Oh, that's a pretty name," Peggy said.

"Yeah, he said she reminds him of Princess Aurora in _Sleeping Beauty_," Natasha said.

"Good Lord, this boy is head over heels," Jane said.

"Not sure what to do," Natasha said. "He thinks she doesn't know he exists."

"I'm sure she does," Peggy said. "Philip's a charming young boy. Any girl would have to be a fool to not notice him."

"You're just saying that because he's my son," Natasha said.

"Anyone would say that about Philip," Jane said, resting a reassuring hand on Natasha's knee. "We're not just saying that because he's your son."

"Speaking of charming young boys…" Peggy trailed off as she nodded towards the pond where Emilia, Samuel, and Athena were playing. Emilia and Athena were sitting in the grass, grabbing handfuls of the tendrils and putting it into a pile between the two of them. Samuel was a couple feet away, bent over with his butt sticking up in the air while he plucked a couple flowers that still remained from summer from the grass.

Once he had a handful of flowers, he rejoined Emilia and Athena, plopping down next to Emilia. Samuel sheepishly handed Emilia the bundle of flowers, his cheeks blushing a light shade of pink. Emilia kindly took the flowers before leaning over and kissing Samuel on the cheek.

"Oh my God, Clint is going to have a shit fit," Jane said jokingly.

What Jane didn't know is that Clint was, indeed, going to have a shit fit.

* * *

Natasha strode into the living room with Emilia balanced on her hip. Clint and Philip were seated on either end of the coffee table, playing a game of Chutes & Ladders. Philip had his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he focused intently on the game at hand.

"Well, you're not going to like what I have to say, love," Natasha said as she sat down on the couch behind Clint.

"What?" Clint asked, not taking his eyes off of the game board.

"Emilia's got herself a boyfriend."

Clint suddenly whipped around, his eyes wide with shock. "What? No, she's not allowed. I told her. She's not even allowed to look at boys. She can't even think about them," Clint said.

Natasha giggled. "Calm down, Clint. It's just Peggy's son anyways."

"Doesn't matter," Clint said as he shook his head. "I'll beat him up. I swear."

"Clint, they're one. I only said that to mess with you," Natasha said.

"No, nope," Clint said as he continued to shake his head. He reached for Emilia and set her in his lap. "We're home-schooling her. She's not allowed near boys."

"Clint, why are you so protective of her? She's one and you're acting like she's 14, getting ready to go on her first date or something."

"She's my little girl," Clint said as he placed a kiss on top of Emilia's head.

"And she'll always be your little girl, Clint," Natasha murmured. "She's not going anywhere now. She's only one. No one's going to take her away from you."

"Well…still…" he trailed off before turning his attention to Emilia. "You're too young for a boyfriend. Sam _is not_ your boyfriend."

"Sammy boyfriend!" Emilia clapped.

"No, no, remember that talk we had? No boys. Ever," Clint said.

"Sammy!" Emilia exclaimed again.

Clint sighed. "I knew you would be trouble." Emilia giggled mischievously and Clint tickled her belly, causing the little girl to laugh uncontrollably.

"Daddy!" Philip whined, interrupting the father-daughter moment. "It's your turn and I waited patiently!"

"You're right, Philip. I'm sorry," Clint said as he passed Emilia back to Natasha, but not before pressing a soft kiss to the top of Emilia's head. He turned back to the game board and made his move. He focused intently on the game in front of him before he felt fingers threading through his hair. He turned around and his eyes locked on the bright green eyes of his daughter. She reached out for him and he smiled as he set her in his lap.

Clint took his turn as he felt Natasha rest her chin on his shoulder. She felt him press a kiss to his neck before whispering in his ear. "Daddy's Girls are always Daddy's Girls. That never changes in any family. Remember that."

Clint smiled as he dropped his head and pressed another soft kiss to the top of Emilia's head. Natasha was right. Emilia would always be a Daddy's Girl, and Clint would make sure of that. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be protective over her. The first boy that breaks his daughter's heart is going to have to watch out for Clint. Unfortunately, that meant Samuel Rogers had to make sure he didn't do anything stupid to hurt Emilia's feelings.

* * *

The first time Clint saw Samuel kiss Emilia, it was completely innocent and on the cheek. But that didn't keep Clint from going over to Emilia and snatching her away from Samuel. Emilia squealed out of discontent and Samuel was terribly confused.

"Clint, what are you doing?" Natasha asked as she met Clint on his way back to the blanket they had laid out under the shade of a nice, big tree in Central Park. "Are you crazy?"

"What?" Clint asked.

"How many times do I have to remind you that they're only one-year-old?" Natasha said. "Seriously Clint, what is wrong with you?"

"Just…" Clint trailed off. With a sigh, Clint sat down in the grass and Natasha did the same. He set Emilia in his lap and brushed the curls out of her face. "She looks just like you," Clint said.

Natasha nodded. "I see," she said. "Is this the same jealous Clint I see from high school?"

Clint shrugged without saying a word.

"You are so jealous," Natasha said. "You don't like her with any other boys." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She knew that was the answer. "Look, Clint, Samuel's not Alexei," Natasha said. "I know you were jealous of him but come on, Samuel is your best friend's son. You can trust him. He's not some foreign guy that she's being set up with like I was."

Clint was silent, casting his eyes downward. At the same time, Emilia tilted her head back, her green eyes boring into Clint's blue-grey ones. He couldn't protect her forever and he couldn't get jealous every time some boy took her away from him. Natasha was right. She would always be a Daddy's Girl.

"Sorry, love," Clint said as he lifted her from his lap and stood her up. "Go ahead." He gave her a gentle push towards Samuel so she could rejoin him but the little girl didn't budge. Instead, she took a step back towards Clint and leaned in for a kiss. The little girl's red curls fell in front of her face, tickling the sides of Clint's face. Clint chuckled as his daughter gave him a slobbery kiss before walking off to rejoin Samuel.

"You still have me, you know," Natasha said as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Clint's waist.

"Nah," Clint said as he wrapped an arm around Natasha. "I still have the both of you. She'll always be a Daddy's Girl."

* * *

Clint had off at least one Friday each month so during his Friday off in the month of September, he joined Natasha and Emilia to pick Philip up from school. Philip had been expressing his sadness over Aurora still not knowing he existed. Philip was one of the most outgoing kids in his class and yet, he felt like Aurora still didn't know his name.

Clint and Natasha stood outside of the school as they heard the bell signal the end of the school day. Moments later, the high-pitched squeal of children greeted the waiting parents as the children flooded the sidewalk. Philip bounded down the steps and greeted his parents with a wide grin.

"Hey love, did you have a good day?" Natasha asked as she took his backpack and hung it on the handle of Emilia's stroller.

"Mhmm," Philip hummed. "We read _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_ at story time and I knew all the words because we read it all the time in preschool. And then we painted caterpillars!"

"Sounds fun," Natasha said.

"Hi Philip." Standing behind Philip was a little girl with long, flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a dark purple dress with black tights and a pair of black ballet flats.

Philip stared at the young girl in shock. "H-hi Aurora," Philip stammered.

"I just wanted to say I liked your caterpillar painting we did after we read the book. I thought it was the best one in the class," Aurora said.

"T-thanks," Philip said. "Yours was amazing too."

"Thank you," Aurora said as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. "Umm, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over sometime this weekend. My mommy and daddy said it's okay."

Philip turned his head and without saying a word, looked at Clint and Natasha hopefully. Clint and Natasha both nodded in approval before Philip turned back to Aurora. "Yeah, that would be fun," Philip said.

"Okay," Aurora said with a smile. She produced a piece of paper that she had hidden behind her back and handed it to Philip. "This is my mommy's cell phone number. She says your mommy should call her later."

"O-okay," Philip said as he took the piece of paper from Aurora. That's when Aurora took a step forward, leaned in, and pressed a kiss to Philip's cheek. Clint and Natasha bit their lips as they tried to hide the smiles that started to spread across their faces. They saw both Philip and Aurora flush a deep shade of red.

"O-okay, I'll see you this weekend," Aurora said before hastily walking off to rejoin her parents.

"Whoa," Philip said.

"Atta boy," Clint said.

"Mama, did you see that!?" Philip exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.

"I did," Natasha said as Philip excitedly handed her the piece of paper with Aurora's mom's number on it. "See? I told you that you just needed to give it some time."

"She knows my name, Mama!" Philip said.

"Never underestimate girls, Philip," Clint said. "Your mommy was a sneaky one. Looks like Aurora is, too."

"Just…wow," Philip breathed.

Clint chuckled as he held out his hand for Philip to grasp. Natasha pushed the stroller around and fell into step with the two main men in her life as they headed back to their townhouse to call Aurora's mother.

* * *

**Awww how sweet! I wish I could take credit for the "And everyone worships her because she's heaven" bit, but unfortunately, it's one of my favorite lines from the movie _Love, Actually_. But I hope you guys liked this. I thought it was cute haha. If you have a prompt you want me to write for Clint and Natasha, leave it in a review or inbox it to me.**

**As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated and they motivate me to write so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	25. Make It Go Away

**Setting/Summary: I know I said I would do one-shot prompts that you guys requested, but I'm feeling a little sickly and would like to do a one-shot for myself haha. This one-shot is about little Emilia getting the flu while Clint is away on business and Natasha is left to deal with it until Clint comes home. Clint is 30, Natasha is 30 (birthday is in November), Philip is 5, and Emilia is about 20 months old. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when she heard Emilia's high-pitched whimper on the baby monitor from the bedside table. Groggily, Natasha rubbed her eyes as she sat up to listen for the sound again. When Emilia let out the whimper again, Natasha pushed the covers off of her body and quietly padded out of the room to check on Emilia.

When she entered the room, Emilia was gripping the railing of her crib with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Emilia noticed her mother entering the room and let out another whimper as she reached out for Natasha.

"Oh Emilia, what's wrong?" Natasha cooed as she lifted the small child from her crib. The moment Emilia's body rested against Natasha's, she could feel the heat radiating from her daughter, even through the fabric of her daughter's pajamas. Concerned, she raised a hand to Emilia's forehead and felt it burning. "Oh love, you're burning up!"

More tears rolled down Emilia's cheeks before she sleepily rested her head on Natasha's shoulder. Emilia let out another whimper as she sniffled. Natasha rubbed her back soothingly before she reached into Emilia's crib and grabbed her blanket. Padding out of the room, she headed back to her own bedroom to grab the thermometer from their bathroom.

Carefully balancing Emilia on her hip, she crouched down and rummaged through the cabinet under the sink to search for the thermometer. She found the thermometer and the disposable caps to keep the thermometer clean. She slid one of the disposable caps onto the thermometer and gently pushed it into Emilia's ear. She held the button down until she heard a beep and then removed the device from Emilia's ear. She flipped the thermometer around to find that Emilia's temperature was 102.

"Oh Emilia," Natasha sighed as she brushed her daughter's red curls off of her forehead.

"Mama," Emilia moaned as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know, I know," Natasha whispered as she pressed a kiss to Emilia's burning forehead.

"Want Daddy," Emilia moaned. Of course Emilia would get sick while Clint was away on business in Germany. Thankfully Clint would be back in two days. But until then, they had to stick it out without him.

"Let's call Daddy," Natasha suggested. "Should we call Daddy?"

Emilia nodded as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Natasha pressed another kiss to her daughter's forehead before hoisting her up on her hip again and heading back into the bedroom. Natasha glanced at the time and figured it was about ten o'clock in the morning in Munich. She swiped her phone off of the bedside table and dialed the corresponding number on her speed dial to call Clint. With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the bed as she waited for Clint to pick up. On the final ring, Clint fortunately picked up and of course the panic in his voice was obvious.

"Nat, what's wrong?" Clint asked.

"Emilia's sick," Natasha said as Emilia weakly picked her head up from Natasha's shoulder. "She has a fever of 102 and she keeps crying and she just asked for you."

"Let me talk to her," Clint said.

Natasha nodded to herself before passing her phone to Emilia. "It's Daddy, Emilia," Natasha whispered. "Daddy wants to talk to you."

Emilia took the phone from Natasha and pressed it up against her ear. She dropped her head to Natasha's shoulder again as she listened to Clint.

"Hey little girl," Clint said from the other end.

"Hi Daddy," Emilia moaned.

"I miss you," Clint said.

"Home," Emilia whined as more tears slid down her cheeks and soaked the shoulder of Natasha's t-shirt.

"I'm coming home soon, okay?" Clint said. "Maybe I can leave early but hang in there for Mommy."

Emilia sniffled as more tears slid down her cheeks. She let out a whimper as she buried her face into Natasha's neck.

"Hey baby girl, don't cry," Clint said from the other end. The thought of his daughter being so sick and helpless while he wasn't there made him want to cry himself. Of course Natasha was there to take care of her, but hearing Emilia moan and whimper from the other end of the line didn't help whatsoever.

"I'll be home, Emilia. Hang in there," Clint said as he felt his heart break in two. "And I love you, Emilia."

"Love you, Daddy," Emilia whimpered.

"Okay, now give the phone back to Mommy okay?" Clint asked.

Emilia pulled the phone away from her ear and passed it back to Natasha. Natasha tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she cradled Emilia against her chest.

"Clint, I don't know what to do," Natasha said helplessly. "I mean, I know what to do, but she's so helpless."

"I know, Nat," Clint said with a sigh. "I'm going to see if I can get an earlier flight. If not, I'll be back as planned. And don't worry about coming to meet me at the airport. Stay home and keep Emilia out of the cold. I'll just take a cab."

"Okay," Natasha said as she dropped a kiss to the top of Emilia's head. The small child had already started to drift off to sleep but she sniffled one more time before fully closing her eyes. "Should I try to get a doctor's appointment? God knows they're probably all full. Lots of other kids are probably getting sick too."

"Try to get the earliest appointment you can get," Clint said. "If it isn't for another four days, that's fine. I don't think this will go away in 24 hours."

"Well, what should I do until then?" Natasha asked. "God, Philip never got sick. I mean, he got a cold every once in a while but he never had a fever this high."

"Go stock up at the store on cold medicine," Clint said. "Try to give her that until then. Don't get anything grape flavored because we all know she hates grape flavored things."

"But she loves grapes," Natasha said with a nervous laugh. "God, I wish you were here, Clint. I don't know what to do without you."

Clint chuckled. "We do make a pretty good team, don't we?"

"The best," she agreed. Natasha turned her head slightly to see that Emilia had fallen asleep. "She's back asleep now. I think she just wanted to talk to you."

"I miss you guys," Clint said endearingly. "I'll try to come home early but it's no guarantee."

"I know," Natasha said. "Just make sure you come back to us in one piece."

Clint chuckled. "I will, Nat. I love you and I miss you."

Natasha felt a smile spreading across her face. She would never get tired of hearing Clint say that he loved her. She would never get tired of hearing the longing in his voice as he told her he missed her. "I love you too Clint. And I miss you."

They said goodbye to one another and Natasha set her phone on the bedside table. Carefully, she swung her legs up onto the bed. She placed Emilia in the center of her bed and laid her blanket on top of her. Finally, Natasha crawled in under her own blankets next to Emilia. She curled up next to Emilia but moved away seconds later from her body heat being too hot. She rested her hand on Emilia's back protectively as she tried to drift off to sleep.

* * *

It was roughly an hour later when Natasha awoke to the sound of a raspy cough. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Natasha rolled over to see Emilia lying on her side with her hand covering her mouth. Her fingers were splayed across her lips, so her hand wasn't really keeping the germs from escaping but at least it was an effort.

"Oh Emilia," Natasha cooed as she sat up and picked up Emilia to set her in her lap. Emilia ended her coughing streak for a split second before starting it up again. Concerned that maybe her fever had gone up, Natasha picked up Emilia as she slid off of the bed and headed into the bathroom again. She popped a disposable cap onto the thermometer before sticking it in Emilia's ear. Holding the button down, she waited for the beep to signal that her temperature had been taken. When she heard the beep, she removed the thermometer from Emilia's ear and flipped it over to check what the screen said. Her temperature was still 102 and Natasha was thankful that it hadn't gone up.

The moment Natasha set the thermometer down on the countertop, Emilia started another coughing fit. Natasha hugged Emilia to her chest as she rubbed her back. She padded back into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed as Emilia continued her coughing streak.

"Mama?" Natasha heard from her bedroom doorway. She shifted her body to find Philip, bleary-eyed and confused, standing in the doorway. Quickly, she glanced at the clock and noticed that it was about quarter after five.

"Hey love," Natasha whispered. "I'm sorry. Emilia's sick. Go back to bed and I'll close the door."

"Okay," Philip said sleepily. "Can I close my door too?"

"That's fine," Natasha said. "I'll wake you up when it's time to get ready for school, okay?"

Philip nodded sleepily before dragging his feet back down the hall to his bedroom. Seconds later, Natasha heard the _click_ as his bedroom door latched into its place after Philip closed it. Carefully, she rose from the edge of the bed and padded over to the doorway to quietly shut her own bedroom door before returning to the bed.

"Mama, I'm sick," Emilia moaned as she buried her face in Natasha's neck.

"I know, love," Natasha said as she rubbed Emilia's back.

"Want Daddy," Emilia moaned.

"I know, Emilia," Natasha sighed. "Me too."

* * *

Though Natasha was able to successfully get Emilia to fall back asleep, Natasha simply couldn't bring herself to do it too. She figured that if she fell back asleep, she would only get woken up minutes later by one of Emilia's coughing fits. So she stayed awake and watched her daughter's chest rise and fall with every breath she took.

At about six o'clock, Natasha swiped her phone off of the bedside table and quietly tip toed out of the room to call her dad. Natasha needed someone to take Philip to school and pick up some cough and cold medicine for Emilia. Emilia most definitely couldn't go outside and taking Philip to school and going to get medicine involved leaving the house. Mr. Romanoff obliged obviously and he even offered to pick Philip up from school and let him stay the night at his house so he didn't pick up any of Emilia's germs. Natasha thought that wasn't a bad idea, so she agreed to the arrangement. She just hoped Philip would be okay with it too.

Around 7:30 Mr. Romanoff arrived at the townhouse with a bag full of different kinds of cough medicine and a bag of breakfast takeout from a diner around the corner. Natasha thanked him and they sat down at the kitchen table to silently eat their breakfast. When Natasha had finished, it was almost eight o'clock and she sighed as she realized that she had to wake Philip soon. Dragging her feet, she trudged up the stairs to gently wake Philip for school.

While Natasha was getting Philip ready for school, Mr. Romanoff tried to coax a bit of cough medicine into Emilia. Unfortunately, Mr. Romanoff didn't get the memo about Emilia hating grape flavored things so she refused to take it. When Mr. Romanoff asked Natasha why she wouldn't take the medicine, Natasha responded by tossing one of the other boxes of cough medicine that was cherry flavored at her dad before resuming her morning duties with Philip.

By the time Philip was ready for school Mr. Romanoff had lulled Emilia back to sleep and placed her in Natasha's bed. They met downstairs at the front door. Natasha slung Philip's backpack onto his back and kissed him goodbye before handing the duffle bag full of Philip's clothes and necessities to her father.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call, Natasha," Mr. Romanoff said as he put a protective hand on Natasha's shoulder.

"Thanks Dad," Natasha mumbled. With that, they walked out the door. Natasha stared at the door for a couple seconds before she dragged her feet to the kitchen to grab herself a bottle of water before heading back upstairs. She climbed the stairs as she searched through her contacts for the pediatrician's number. When she found it, she tapped the screen to call for an appointment.

The moment the receptionist answered the phone, Natasha could tell she was irritated. There was no doubt that parents of sick children had been calling in all day to get appointments to see a doctor. Natasha apologized sincerely and asked for the next available appointment. Though the next appointment wasn't until tomorrow at one o'clock, Natasha was lucky enough to have gotten the last appointment for that day. The appointment wasn't for well over another 24 hours, but at least it wasn't in four days.

Before she hung up the phone with the receptionist, she asked for any kind of advice as to what she should do for Emilia in the meantime. With an exhausted sigh, the receptionist suggested that Emilia get a lot of sleep and drink plenty of fluids, preferably orange juice since it contained vitamin D. Natasha thanked the receptionist for all of her help and wished her a good day before disconnecting the call to head back into her bedroom to check on Emilia.

* * *

"How about we try some soup?" Natasha asked Emilia as she threaded her fingers through her daughter's vibrant red curls. The small child was curled up next to Natasha, who was seated upright in bed. Emilia had woken up 20 minutes ago from a two hour nap and Natasha realized she still hadn't had anything to eat.

"No," Emilia croaked from her scratchy throat.

"How about some toast?" Natasha asked.

"No," Emilia whined.

"Well you've got to eat _something_, love," Natasha said.

"Daddy," the small red-headed child moaned.

"You want to eat Daddy?" Natasha asked jokingly.

"No," Emilia moaned but tried to laugh at Natasha's lame joke.

"Okay, we'll call Daddy," Natasha said as she reached out for her phone on the bedside table. She pressed the number corresponding to Clint on her speed dial. She listened to the phone ring two times until Clint picked.

"Hey, how is she?" Clint asked automatically.

"The same, or I guess worse, since I talked to you earlier. She has a pretty bad cough now but her fever is the same," Natasha said. "She won't eat anything either."

"Did you get her some cough medicine?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, my dad brought some when he came to take Philip to school. He's going to keep Philip with him overnight so he doesn't catch any of Emilia's germs," Natasha said.

"Well that's good," Clint said. "What's she doing now?"

"Sitting here with me, waiting to talk to you," Natasha said as she gently patted the top of Emilia's head.

"Put her on the phone." Without another word to Clint, Natasha passed the phone to Emilia. "Hey baby girl," Clint said when he figured Emilia was listening. "How do you feel?"

"Bad," Emilia croaked as she began to cough.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Clint said. "How about you eat some chicken noodle soup for Mommy? I know that would make both you and her feel better."

"Okay," Emilia moaned.

"I love you, Emilia. I'll be home soon, okay?" Clint said.

"Okay," the little girl moaned again.

"Okay, now give the phone back to Mommy," Clint said. Emilia pulled the phone away from her ear and held it out for Natasha. She took the phone from her daughter and quickly dropped a kiss to the top of her head before pressing the phone up to her ear to talk to Clint.

"Hey," Natasha breathed.

"Hey, so don't tell Emilia but I'm coming home," Clint said. Natasha nearly jumped up and started bouncing on the bed out of excitement. "I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to board. They were going to send us home early anyways. We weren't going to be needed for the last day."

"Okay, when do you think you'll be here?" Natasha asked.

"Late," Clint said. "I think my flight gets in at nine so factor in baggage claim and traffic, that should put me home around eleven o'clock. Maybe earlier but you never know."

"Right," Natasha agreed solemnly. "Well, I miss you and I can't wait for you to come home."

"I know, Nat," Clint sighed. "But I'll see you soon and don't wait up for me. Emilia needs her rest and you sound exhausted too."

"You have no idea," Natasha muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, Nat, but I'll be home. Just hang in there," Clint said.

The two bid goodbye to one another and Natasha disconnected the call. She returned her phone to the bedside table before turning her attention back to Emilia. The small red-head's eyelids were drooping as she restlessly coughed to clear her airways. After much coaxing, Natasha picked up Emilia and carried her downstairs in hopes she could convince her to eat something.

* * *

It was a little before eleven o'clock at night when Clint stumbled through the front door with his luggage and carry-on bag. He closed the front door and positioned his bags at the bottom of the stairs before tip toeing upstairs to find the two main girls in his life.

He found the two of them lying in his bed, fast asleep. Emilia was lying on her stomach while Natasha's hand rested protectively on Emilia's back. Clint quietly tip toed across the hardwood floor before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Suddenly, Emilia squirmed in her sleep before letting out a faint whimper. Carefully, Clint reached out for Emilia and picked her up so she could rest in his arms.

"Hey baby girl," Clint whispered. He cradled her against his chest and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. He brushed a hand against her forehead to feel the heat radiating from her skin. He couldn't even imagine how she was feeling.

"Hey," Clint heard from his right. He turned his head to see Natasha pushing herself into an upright position before leaning towards Clint. He met her halfway and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. They pulled away from one another just as Emilia let out a startling cough. Protectively, Clint brushed the red curls out of Emilia's face before he dropped his head to kiss the top of her head again.

"She sounds worse," Clint said, the concern in his voice evident.

"Her fever went down, actually," Natasha said. "I took her temperature before we fell asleep. It's at 101 now."

Emilia squirmed in Clint's arms before whimpering and grabbing a fistful of Clint's shirt. "Hey, it's okay baby girl. I'm here," Clint said. He kicked off his shoes and then pulled his feet onto the bed and shoved them underneath the covers.

"Here Clint," Natasha said as she reached out for Emilia. "I'll take her and you can go change."

Clint shook his head silently as he slowly slumped down into bed with Emilia in his arms. She coughed loudly before whimpering again and resting her head against Clint's chest.

"Daddy?" Clint heard Emilia whine.

"Yeah, I'm here Emilia. You're okay," Clint said as he lied down in bed with Emilia resting on his chest.

"Daddy, I'm sick," Emilia moaned as she fended off another cough.

"I know baby, but you'll be okay," Clint said as he pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

"Sing Daddy," Emilia begged weakly. Never one to deny his daughter's wishes, Clint began to hum the first few bars of "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. Clint realized that it had become Emilia's favorite song for Clint to sing to her, so he tended to stick with it when he was trying to lull her asleep.

As he started singing the first few bars, he started to rub her back soothingly. Immediately, he saw her eyelids start to droop like usual. As he started to sing the chorus, he felt the bed shake as Natasha curled up next to Clint. She pressed a soft kiss to his temple before resting her head on his shoulder to watch Emilia slowly drift off to sleep.

"Did you get an appointment?" Clint whispered when he figured Emilia was asleep.

"Yeah," Natasha said sleepily. "Tomorrow at one."

"I'll take her," Clint said. "Stay home and sleep."

"God, when was the last time I slept 'til one o'clock in the afternoon?" Natasha mused.

"Just get some rest," Clint said as he wrapped an arm around Natasha and pulled her close. Natasha sighed as her eyelids slowly drifted shut. It wasn't long until Clint too was drifting off to dream land. Though one thing was certain, it didn't matter the circumstances, Clint was glad to be back together with the two main girls in his life.

* * *

**Just a little bit of sickly fluff haha. I hope you guys liked it! I promise I will get to your prompts when I'm not busy with work or updating my other stories. Sorry haha.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated and they motivate me to write so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**


	26. Give Me Love

**Setting/Summary: Happy Valentine's Day! I know I've been really bad at updating. Technically, I haven't updated this in practically a month, but a sudden spur of inspiration has come up and I'm motivated to write for this collection of stories again. Therefore, today is Valentine's Day and since I'm boyfriendless (and probably will be for the rest of my life), I have resorted to the wonderful world of Fanfiction. And since I've written about Clint, Natasha, and company on other holidays, it only seemed right that I write about Valentine's Day. Clint is 31 (I believe I've always imagined his birthday to be before Valentine's Day), Natasha is 30, Philip is 5, and Emilia is 23 months old (she's almost two years old you guys!). Enjoy!**

* * *

Clint groaned at the sound of his alarm clock blaring from the bedside table. Instinctively, his arms tightened around the slim frame of his wife as the deafening beeping continued to blare from the alarm clock.

"Clint, turn it off," Natasha mumbled.

"Don't wanna go to work," Clint shot back incoherently.

"I don't care," Natasha snapped sleepily. "Just turn the damn thing off."

Reluctantly, Clint let go of Natasha's small frame and twisted around to slap the snooze button. The unpleasant beeping ceased and Clint rolled back onto his side and pulled Natasha into his embrace. Normally, Clint never liked to get out of bed when he had to go work. He just wanted to lie in bed with Natasha in his arms. But today was a special day. Today was Valentine's Day and all Clint wanted to do was spend it with Natasha and his kids. Unfortunately, it was a work day so work was what he had to do.

"Clint, you gotta go to work," Natasha said, her voice muffled from being pressed against the pillow.

"Five more minutes," Clint whined.

Natasha lightly nudged him in the ribs with her elbow but then relaxed in his embrace. They lied in bed together, wrapped in each other's embrace, until Emilia called out for Natasha from her bedroom. Natasha let out a groan as she untangled herself from Clint's embrace and then climbed out of bed to tend to Emilia.

With a sigh, Clint rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. He could feel himself start to drift back to sleep when he felt the bed dip next to him. A tiny finger poked him in the face and Clint cracked an eyelid to find a pair of green eyes staring back at him.

"Up Daddy," Emilia squeaked.

Clint rubbed his eyes before pushing himself up and resting against the headboard. "Good morning Emilia," he greeted the small child.

The tiny red head climbed into Clint's lap and then looked up at him with her beautiful green eyes. Clint smiled to himself before scooping Emilia up in his arms and hugging her to his chest. The little girl giggled as Clint squeezed her tight.

"Daddy squishing me!" Emilia exclaimed.

Clint loosened his grip on Emilia before pressing a kiss to her small, pink lips. "Do you know what today is, Emilia?"

Emilia stared back at him with wide eyes before shrugging her shoulders.

"Today is Valentine's Day," Clint informed the little girl.

Emilia gasped, her lips making a big O. "Daddy, be my valentine?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," Clint said. He pressed a kiss to Emilia's red curls before leaning down even more to whisper in her ear. "But don't tell Mommy. She might get jealous."

Emilia giggled before looking over at Natasha, who was rolling her eyes.

"Whatever. Philip will be my valentine," Natasha said.

"Nuh uh," Emilia said. "Philip and Aurora are valentines."

"Well, that makes me feel fantastic," Natasha grumbled sarcastically.

Clint chuckled before leaning to the side to press a soft kiss to Natasha's lips. "You can still be my valentine, Nat, as long as Emilia's willing to share," he asked before turning his attention back to Emilia.

"I share," Emilia said. She crawled off of Clint's lap and across the bed to Natasha. She stood up in the middle of the bed and gave Natasha a quick kiss.

"You're too sweet, Emilia," Natasha said with a small laugh as she placed the red headed little girl in her lap. Natasha absentmindedly played with a few of Emilia's curls before turning back to Clint. Unfortunately, Clint had fallen back asleep while sitting up, but Natasha lightly shoved him in the shoulder to wake him.

"Huh, I'm awake. I promise," Clint said as he jerked away.

Natasha swung her legs over the edge of the bed and scooped Emilia up in her arms. "Yeah right," Natasha mumbled. "Get your butt in the shower."

Natasha sauntered out of the bedroom with Emilia on her hip. With a groan, Clint rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom to take a quick shower. He quickly washed his hair and body and then stepped out of the shower to dry off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and then sauntered back into the bedroom to get dressed for the day.

When he was dressed in his work clothes, he checked the time on the bedside table to find that he only had a couple minutes to spare. Swiping his phone off of the bedside table, he snatched up his coat and the documents he'd been working on last night before rushing down the stairs.

He found his family in the kitchen. Philip was ready for school, packing up his backpack with his valentines for his class, and Emilia was seated in her booster seat at the table as she colored. Clint waltzed up to Natasha and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before snatching up an apple from the basket on the counter. He brushed by the kitchen table to give Emilia and Philip goodbye kisses before practically sprinting from the room.

Stopping in the foyer to pull on his coat, he heard the high-pitched voice of his daughter calling his name from the kitchen. She came bounding around the corner, her curls bouncing with every step. She skidded to a halt in front of Clint before holding up a heart shaped piece of paper. Never one to say no to her, he crouched down and scooped her up in his arms.

"Is this my valentine?" he asked. Emilia nodded animatedly as she watched Clint examine the valentine. It wasn't anything extravagant. Clearly Natasha had to help her cut the heart-shape, but the rest was all Emilia. She had drawn several hearts all over the paper with two stick figures – one tall and one small – in the middle of the card.

"Is that you?" Clint asked Emilia and the little girl nodded. "And is that me?" he asked, pointing to the taller stick figure. Emilia nodded as a grin spread across her face. "Well, I love it, sweetheart. Thank you," Clint said as he kissed the top of Emilia's head. "Now I've got to go to work but I'll see you when I get home, okay?"

"Mhmm," the little red head hummed as she nodded her head.

Clint gave her one more kiss before lowering her to the ground. The moment her tiny feet hit the floor, she took off running back to the kitchen. As she rounded the corner, she collided with Natasha, which sent the little girl toppling backwards onto her butt. As per usual, Emilia didn't cry or even whimper. She simply stayed sitting on the floor and looked up at Natasha with expectant eyes.

Bending at the waist, Natasha picked up Emilia and situated her on her hip before crossing the room to say goodbye to Clint. Clint finished winding up his scarf around his neck before stepping towards Natasha to close the distance between them. He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Natasha's lips before pulling away.

"I don't have any plans to stay late tonight, so make sure you're ready when I get home," Clint ordered.

"Taking us out to dinner?" Natasha asked as she nuzzled the side of Emilia's face.

"Sorry, just the two of us," Clint apologized. "Right Emilia? Just you and me?"

"Yeah, Daddy!" Emilia chirped.

Natasha reached out and lightly shoved Clint in the shoulder. "Don't get smart with me. Well, then, what are we going to do with the kids?" Natasha asked.

"I asked your dad if he could watch them so don't worry about it," Clint said as he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Natasha's cheek. "Now I've really got to go. But be ready tonight when I get home, okay?"

"Okay," Natasha replied softly as she watched Clint head for the door.

"Bye Emilia. Bye Philip!" Clint shouted and Philip shouted a goodbye from his perch at the kitchen table. Clint was halfway out the door when he paused in the doorway and then rushed back towards Natasha. He stopped dead in front of her before passionately crushing his lips to hers.

Natasha could feel her head start to spin as the kiss started to deepen. Her grip on Emilia tightened, out of fear that she might drop her. But it wasn't much longer until Clint pulled away and whispered "Happy Valentine's Day" in her ear before slipping through the front door of the house to head to work.

* * *

After Natasha and Emilia dropped Philip off at school, they returned home to start baking some cupcakes. Natasha had promised Philip's teacher she would stop by about an hour before dismissal and bring some cupcakes in for the class while they were having their Valentine's Day celebration. Natasha and Emilia had a great little system going on as they dumped the contents into the oversized bowl. Natasha would measure, Emilia would dump the contents into the bowl, and they would rotate mixing the ingredients.

When they mixture was completely blended together, Emilia set up the cupcake tins by placing a cupcake wrapper in each hole. Then, Natasha dumped a decent amount of cupcake batter into each cupcake wrapper and then placed them in the oven to bake. Excitedly, Emilia watched the oven like a TV as the cupcake batter rose above the cupcake wrappers.

When the cupcakes were finished, Natasha took the cupcake tins out of the oven and let them cool off before they frosted them. To kill some time, Natasha scooped Emilia up from the floor and carried her upstairs to Natasha's bedroom. Natasha set her youngest child on her king-sized bed and turned on some cartoons before disappearing into her walk-in closet.

Keeping an eye on Emilia from her peripheral vision, Natasha searched through the racks of clothes she owned. It was so inconvenient that Clint had decided to tell her at the last minute that he was taking her out for dinner. Natasha knew Clint didn't care what she wore. Hell, she could wear a trash bag and Clint still wouldn't care. But after all these years, Natasha still tried to dress up and look her best whenever Clint planned something for the two of them.

As Natasha searched through her clothes, she didn't find anything remotely interesting. These were clothes Clint saw her wear on a daily basis. She couldn't possibly wear a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. Not even the simple sundresses would suffice. And that was mostly because it was still winter and they would be too thin and sheer to wear.

Natasha continued to search through her racks of clothing before sighing and walking back into her bedroom. She found Emilia lying on her stomach with her hands tucked under her chin as she watched a rerun of _Maggie and the Ferocious Beast_. Natasha crossed the room and flopped down on the bed next to Emilia as she let out a sigh.

"I can't find anything to wear Emilia!" Natasha whined. Natasha glanced at Emilia and noticed her roll her eyes at Natasha before sliding off the bed. Natasha sat up and watched Emilia saunter into the walk-in closet and examine the racks of clothes. She closely examined the clothing before moving onto the next rack. When she didn't find anything, she moved onto the next rack.

Emilia continued to study the clothing before stopping at the last set of clothing. Natasha saw Emilia tilt her head to the side before stepping forward and tugging on a red piece of fabric. "This one, Mama!" she exclaimed as she looked over at Natasha with her bright green eyes.

Natasha pushed off of the bed and walked into the closet to join Emilia. Emilia took a step back to let Natasha look at the item she had picked out. Isolating the piece of clothing by pushing the other clothes away from it, Natasha pulled the red dress from the rack and held it up to her body.

It was a skin tight, curve-hugging dress that Natasha hadn't worn in years. She probably hadn't worn it since before she got pregnant with Emilia. A lot of people told Natasha that she still looked the same as she did in high school. It was true that Natasha hadn't really gained a lot of weight after being pregnant with two children but some of her old clothes were a little snug. They didn't fit perfectly like they had before she became pregnant.

With that said, Natasha wheeled around with the red fabric in her hands to look at Emilia. The small child was sitting on the floor of the closet with her tiny legs stretched out in front of her and staring up at Natasha with a smug smile on her face.

"This one, Emilia?" Natasha asked uneasily. The tiny red head nodded. "Are you sure?" she asked as she swallowed nervously. Emilia nodded again.

Natasha turned around to face the mirror in the corner of the closet. She held the dress up to her body and stretched out the fabric. She knew it might be a tight squeeze but she'd be able to get into it. If she was completely self-conscious, she could just wear a long cardigan over it.

"Well, I guess this is the one, right Emilia?" Natasha asked as she turned around to face Emilia. The little girl nodded and then giggled from her spot on the closet floor. Natasha laughed too before returning the dress to its proper place on the rack then bent over and picked up Emilia. "Alright, so now that that's taken care of, think we should go put the frosting on those cupcakes?" Natasha asked.

Emilia nodded animatedly, her eyes wide with excitement, and Natasha smiled at her mini-me as they headed downstairs to tend to the delicious treats.

* * *

As promised, Clint didn't work late on Valentine's Day. He burst through the front door of the townhouse and announced his arrival. Philip came running from the kitchen while Emilia came bounding down the stairs. Emilia flung herself into Clint's arms while Philip wrapped his arms around Clint's leg.

"Hi Daddy!" Emilia chirped before pecking Clint on the cheek.

Clint chuckled before kissing Emilia back. The little girl smiled at Clint as he tilted his head forward to look at Philip. Clint's mini-me still had a death grip around Clint's leg but Clint still reached down and ruffled his son's hair. "Hey buddy," Clint said. "Have a good day at school today?"

Philip nodded as he released his grip on Clint's leg and backed away. He looked up at Clint and stared into the blue-grey eyes that rivaled his own.

"Did Aurora like her valentine you made her?" Clint asked.

Philip nodded. "Yeah, and she gave me a really cool one too. Want to see it?"

Clint shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he mused and Philip bolted from the room to search for his backpack. Chuckling, Clint turned back to Emilia and poked her in the belly, which caused the little girl to giggle. "And what about you? Did you have fun with Mommy today?" he asked.

As usual, Emilia nodded silently. She was just like Natasha when she was younger. Speaking of Natasha, she was nowhere to be found. Curiously, Clint listened intently for any sounds of Natasha moving about the house. Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of heels against the hardwood floors and his eyes traveled up the stairs to see Natasha standing at the top.

As Natasha descended the stairs, all Clint could see was red, red, red. The red of Natasha's vibrant red hair. The red of her lips. The red of the skintight red dress that hugged her gorgeous curves. Clint was in complete awe as he watched his wife descend the stairs. He was so in awe of her beauty that he didn't even realize she had reached the bottom of the stairs and was standing right in front of him.

"Mama's so pretty!" Emilia squeaked.

"S-she always is," Clint stuttered.

Natasha smirked at Clint before taking another step towards him. She reached out for Emilia and the small child tumbled into Natasha's arms. "Thank you for picking the dress out for me, love," Natasha muttered in Emilia's ear, loud enough so that Clint could hear.

"Emilia picked it out?" Clint asked.

"Mama, you're so pretty!" Philip announced as he reentered the room with his valentine from Aurora clutched in his hand.

Natasha giggled. "Thank you, Philip. Why don't you guys grab your coats so that when Grandpa gets here, you're ready for him to take you to dinner?"

Both children chirped their responses. Philip sprinted from the living room while Emilia squirmed her way out of Natasha's arms. She disappeared into the kitchen to find her brother, leaving Clint and Natasha alone in the living room.

Nervously, Clint rubbed the back of his neck. He'd seen Natasha dress up many times in the past but he still couldn't help but feel weak in the knees when he saw her. "So…" Clint trailed off nervously. "Emilia picked this out?"

Natasha giggled. "Yeah, I don't think she realized what kind of dress it was. I think she just saw the color."

"Well, you still look…beautiful, as always," Clint said.

Natasha felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, but they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Clint reached behind him and tugged open the door to reveal Natasha's father. He wished both of them a Happy Valentine's Day as he stepped over the threshold.

As if on cue, Philip and Emilia came running from around the corner and they slammed into Natasha's father's legs. Mr. Romanoff chuckled as he ruffled both of his grandchildren's hair before turning to Clint and Natasha. Telling them that he had everything under control, it gave Clint and Natasha the cue to leave. Stepping out onto the front steps, they headed down to the edge of the sidewalk to hail the first cab that appeared. Within a few minutes, they'd gotten a cab and were on their way to dinner on the Upper East Side.

* * *

Natasha had to admit she was disappointed. The food was fantastic and the restaurant was romantic, but Natasha still couldn't hide her pout as they headed back to their townhouse in The Village. After all the years Natasha had known Clint, she knew he was one for the romantic gestures. But just taking her out to dinner was so unlike him. The fact that they were returning home right after dinner convinced Natasha that their Valentine's night was over.

Their cab came to a halt outside of their townhouse and Clint forked over a couple bills to pay their cab driver. They climbed out of the car and bid the driver goodnight before he sped off to find another customer. Following several steps behind Clint, Natasha climbed the front steps and stopped dead next to him on the top step. Clint pulled out his keys from his jacket pocket but hesitated to unlock the door.

"Well, let's go," Natasha ordered.

Clint tilted his head as he turned towards Natasha. He pulled his keys away from the doorknob before turning his whole body towards Natasha. "Okay, what's bothering you?" he asked.

Natasha really didn't want to ruin the rest of their night, even though it seemed like they didn't really have anything planned. But with a sigh, Natasha decided to tell him. He knew her too well. He knew something was wrong and if she didn't tell him, he wouldn't let it go. "Was that it?" she whined. "We seriously just went out to dinner and that was it."

Clint chuckled before turning back to the door to unlock it. He turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open to reveal a stunning display. The townhouse was eerily quiet and dimly lit. Leading up the stairs was a path of red rose petals, which was lined by several lit white candles.

In awe, Natasha stepped into the house as she admired the scene in front of her. She knew Clint far too well. The fact that she thought he would just take her out for dinner on Valentine's Day was absolutely ridiculous.

From behind her, Clint snaked his arms around Natasha's waist before pressing a kiss to her neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, Nat," Clint whispered in her ear.

A faint blush crept up on her cheeks and she bowed her head to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. As she listened to the eerie silence, she realized that the house was empty. There was no way that Philip and Emilia would be this quiet, especially since Clint and Natasha had just returned home.

"Wait, where are my dad and the kids?" Natasha asked.

"He took them out for dinner and then he's keeping them overnight so we can have alone time," Clint drawled as he nuzzled her neck. "Your dad will take Philip to school tomorrow and then swing by to bring Emilia back afterwards. Don't worry."

Natasha nodded before relaxing in Clint's strong arms. "I love it, Clint," she whispered.

"Want to go upstairs?" he asked and Natasha nodded. He released his grip on Natasha before walking in front of her. He offered up his hand for her and she took it with a smile on her face. Like the gentleman that he was, Clint led Natasha up the stairs. They followed the trail of rose petals to their bedroom, where a string of Clint's favorite twinkle lights outlined the room. Their king-sized bed was immaculately made and situated in the center was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries with a blue Tiffany's box set in front of the platter.

"Clint," Natasha breathed as she dropped her head to his shoulder.

Clint dropped a kiss to the top of Natasha's head. "I love you, Nat."

"I love you too, Clint," Natasha sighed.

After marveling in the display in front of them, Clint tugged Natasha towards the bed. They both sat down on the edge of the bed after shrugging off their coats and Natasha immediately grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry. She bit into the strawberry and savored the sweet flavors. Clint really knew how to treat her.

Clint grabbed the blue Tiffany's box and held it out for Natasha. Her eyes widened and she put her half-eaten strawberry on the edge of the plate. "Clint, stop," she protested.

"It's Valentine's Day, Tasha," Clint said before poking her in the arm with a corner of the Tiffany's box. She rolled her eyes and took the box from Clint. She pulled the white ribbon and let it fall in her lap. Pulling the lid off, she picked up the small pouch that contained the piece of jewelry. She opened the flap of the pouch and tipped it upside down as a silver diamond necklace tumbled into her palm.

It was very simple, but Natasha knew Tiffany's wasn't cheap. This necklace probably cost him at least $5,000, possibly more. She gasped as Clint plucked the piece of expensive jewelry from her hand and unhooked the clasp. He gestured to let her know to turn around and Natasha did as she was told. She swept up her hair and Clint wrapped the necklace around her neck before clasping it into place.

Natasha felt Clint's hand disappear from her soft skin but seconds later, she felt him nuzzle the side of her neck before pressing another soft kiss to the skin right underneath her ear. Natasha shuddered at the feeling as Clint continued to trail kisses down her soft, porcelain skin. When Clint reached her collarbone, Natasha let out an involuntary moan. For some reason, that spot had become particularly sensitive as of late.

Natasha turned around and attacked Clint's lips with hers. It wasn't long until they were shedding their clothes and moving the strawberries to one of the bedside tables, long forgotten. Rolling underneath the blankets, they felt the familiar sensation of skin on skin contact until they couldn't handle it any longer.

For hours, they lied in silence with Natasha curled up in Clint's side with her hand resting on his chest. Clint soothingly ran a hand through Natasha's red curls. They watched as the minutes ticked by and soon enough, it was almost the end of Valentine's Day.

With one last kiss, their lips connected passionately, only breaking for a quick breath. When they'd finished the kiss, they glanced over at the clock to see that they had less than one minute left of Valentine's Day. Clint hugged Natasha close to him and pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Tasha," he whispered.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Clint."

* * *

**That didn't necessarily make me feel better about my loneliness haha, but it was still sweet. I hope you guys liked it. I'll try to update this more often again and I swear I will get to your prompts. I'm not just saying that. I feel like I have to be in the mood to do it or have a really good plot for your prompts. So until then, they will go untouched until I have ideas as to how I want them to play out.**

**Anyways, as always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated and they help motivate me to write so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**

**Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go watch _Crazy, Stupid, Love_ by myself and cry over my boring single life haha. Happy Valentine's Day!  
**


	27. Take Me Out To The Ball Game

**Summary/Setting: I don't know about you guys but I'm pretty excited for baseball season. And today just so happened to be opening day for my beloved Yankees. Unfortunately, they lost but hey, it's only opening day. We have a whole season ahead of us! Anyways, since Clint and Natasha live in New York, it would only seem right that they attend the Yankees game (Philip did say he wanted to be just like Derek Jeter so of course the Bartons are Yankees fans). So here's a bit of ballgame fluff. Clint is 31, Natasha is 30, Philip is 5 (his birthday is in April but he's not quite 6 yet because opening day is today), and Emilia is 2. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was early in the morning when Clint heard the hushed whispers coming from the foot of the bed. There was a high-pitched giggle before he felt the foot of the bed dip as two small people crawled up the bed. Instinctively, Clint tightened his grip around a still-sleeping Natasha and then buried his face in her neck. It wasn't much longer when he felt a small finger poke him in the arm, followed by another high pitched giggle.

"Daddy!" Clint heard Philip hiss. "Daddy, wake up! It's opening day!"

Clint smiled to himself. With a sigh, he released his grip on Natasha – who was still sleeping peacefully – and rolled over to see Philip and Emilia kneeling on Clint's side of the bed. They were both still in their pajamas but they looked wide awake. Philip's hair was sticking up in several different places as per usual and Emilia's red curls were a tangled mess. Despite their appearances, they looked as bright and exuberant as ever.

"Morning, you two," Clint grumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"It's opening day, Daddy!" Philip announced.

"Yeah, it is buddy," Clint groaned as he pushed himself into an upright position. "But the game isn't until this afternoon."

"But Emilia doesn't have her own t-shirt or a hat!" Philip exclaimed.

Clint had to admit this was true. The last game they went to, Emilia didn't even wear Yankees garb and now that Clint thought about it, it seemed wrong. Emilia simply couldn't attend the game later tonight without any official Yankees gear.

"You're right, Philip," Clint said simply. "We'll head over to the stadium early then and get Emilia some Yankees gear." Clint reached out for the tiny red-head and the little girl crawled into Clint's lap. She snuggled up against Clint's chest and wrapped her tiny arms around Clint's torso. "Right Emilia?" he asked as he pressed a kiss to the top of the little girl's head.

"Right Daddy," Emilia chirped.

"Right what?" Clint turned his head to see Natasha pushing herself into a sitting position. The older red-head ran a hand through her vibrant curls before reaching out for her mini-me. Emilia relinquished her grip on Clint and climbed into Natasha's lap.

"We need to get Emilia some Yankees stuff. She doesn't have any!" Philip piped up.

Natasha feigned a gasp and Emilia giggled in response. "That's right!" Natasha gasped. "This is, indeed, a serious problem."

Emilia and Philip giggled at their mother's response. "We need to get going then!" Philip exclaimed as he crawled to the end of the bed and slid off. Before Clint and Natasha knew it, their eldest child had disappeared from the room.

"There's no stopping that kid," Clint chuckled as he shook his head.

"He has a point. Emilia doesn't have any Yankees gear. She can't go to a game on opening day without wearing any Yankees gear," Natasha said matter-of-factly.

"Well, if she _needs_ Yankees gear, we better get ready and get to the Bronx early," Clint said with a smirk as he whipped the coves off of his body.

"Oh! Then we'll be able to go to Monument Park!" Natasha exclaimed excitedly.

Clint turned around and grinned at Natasha. "Well, get ready then," he said with a chuckle.

Natasha nodded, her eyes shining bright with excitement. She quickly kissed the top of Emilia's head and set her down on the floor next to the bed.

"Yankees! Yankees! Yankees!" Emilia chanted as she skipped out of the room.

Both Clint and Natasha shook their head at Emilia. But even the couple had to admit that they were feeling exactly like Emilia because, of course, it was the Yankees' opening day.

* * *

Yankees fans were flocking to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to stock up on Yankees gear and pay a visit to Monument Park before the game started. The crowd was a sea of blue and white as the fans poured into the stadium. With the exception of Emilia, the Bartons were decked out in their Yankees gear as they made their way to the entrance of the stadium.

When they reached the gates, Clint pulled out the tickets and handed them to the woman in charge before leading his family through the turnstiles. One after the other, the Bartons made their way through the turnstiles and when they were finally together, they headed towards the gift shop to find Emilia some Yankees gear.

Like the Bartons, many other Yankees fans were at the gift shop, searching for new Yankees gifts and souvenirs for opening day. The Bartons broke off into pairs – Natasha and Emilia, Clint and Philip – as they went to look for anything interesting. Natasha toted Emilia to the section for children and started to search through the t-shirts. But Emilia was too captivated by the wall of hats that was behind them. The tiny red-head struggled against Natasha's grip before Natasha gave up and turned around to see what all the fuss what about.

When she saw the wall of hats, Natasha couldn't help but giggle and then turn her attention back to Emilia. "You want a hat?" she asked and the tiny red-head nodded fervently. With a smile, Natasha carried Emilia over to the hats and began to pick a few off of the wall to place on Emilia's head. Most of them were adult size so they swallowed Emilia's head whole, but there were a few child size hats that Natasha plucked from the wall to place upon Emilia's head.

"This one, Mama!" Emilia exclaimed when Natasha placed a light pink hat on her head.

"You like that one?" Natasha asked.

The two-year-old nodded once again and Natasha giggled. "Alright, but we still need to get you a shirt. Daddy would kill me if we didn't get you one."

So, once again, Natasha wove her way back to the children's section to search through the t-shirts for the perfect one for Emilia. After much searching, Natasha pulled a simple blue t-shirt from the rack that had the Yankees symbol on the upper left chest. She held it up to Emilia's body and then shrugged after figuring the t-shirt's size sufficed.

Draping the t-shirt over her arm, Natasha weaved through the racks of clothing to reunite with her husband and son. She found them in the souvenirs sections, among the snow globes and player figurines. They waltzed up to Clint – who was eyeing a Derek Jeter figurine – and Emilia poked him in the shoulder. Clint turned around and his eyes instantly lit up when he saw Emilia in her pink Yankees hat.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as he reached his arms out for the small child. Emilia tumbled into Clint's arms and smiled at him. "I like that hat," he said as he flicked the brim.

"Thank you Daddy," Emilia squeaked.

"That one was her favorite," Natasha said.

Clint nodded in approval and then turned his attention back to Philip, who was eyeing a rack of pennants. "Hey buddy, Emilia got herself a shirt and hat. Do you want that Derek Jeter flag you saw?" Clint asked.

Philip's eyes lit up and he nodded his head animatedly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the racks of clothes. It wasn't long until he reappeared with a packaged flag, which he held out to Clint. Clint took the product in his hand then headed through the store to pay for the items his family had picked out.

When everything was paid for, they headed out of the gift shop and walked towards the nearest bathroom so Emilia could change into her new shirt. The tags were tossed into the trash can and Emilia's simple white t-shirt was shoved into Natasha's purse so she could slip into her new Yankees t-shirt. When Emilia was ready, Natasha led her out of the bathroom so they could rejoin Clint and Philip.

"Well, look at you!" Clint exclaimed as he hoisted Emilia onto his hip.

"Like it, Daddy?" Emilia asked hopefully.

"Love it, sweetheart," Clint said as he planted a sweet kiss on Emilia's cheek.

"Okay, Emilia's got her t-shirt. Can we go to Monument Park now?" Philip whined.

Clint chuckled and nodded. "Of course. Lead the way!"

Philip skipped forward before glancing upwards to read the signs that directed them towards Monument Park. He kept the lead several feet ahead of Clint and Natasha until he stopped right outside the entrance to the park. He hesitated outside of the door until Clint and Natasha caught up with him and he looked at them with excited eyes.

"Come on," Clint said as he stepped forward to join Philip.

They stepped through the entrance and were greeted with the cool spring air. Monument Park was impeccably set up. The outskirts of the open-air museum was lined with plaques about famous players and Yankees affiliated personas. Several people were roaming around the museum, glancing at the plaques and admiring the stadium from afar. Philip immediately made a beeline for the first plaque and struggled to read what was on it.

With a chuckle, Clint stepped forward and picked up Philip so that he could read the plaque. "It's Lou Gehrig, Dad!" Philip exclaimed.

"Yeah? What does it say?" Clint asked.

"His number was retired in 1939 and his nickname was 'The Iron Horse,'" Philip said as he stared at the plaque in awe. For a couple more seconds he stared at the plaque before turning his head around to look at Clint. "Where's Yogi Berra's?"

Clint chuckled. "I don't know. Let's go see." Clint set Philip down on the ground and then grabbed his hand to lead him through Monument Park in search of Yogi Berra's monument. They politely excused themselves as they moved through the crowd until they eventually broke free and found Natasha and Emilia standing over the monument in question. Philip ran to close the distance between the two girls while Clint sauntered up behind his wife.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around Natasha's waist.

"What does it look like?" she shot back flirtatiously.

"Looks like you're quenching your thirst for Yankees knowledge," Clint said.

"You're such a nerd," Natasha said as she shook her head. "Do you think we should start heading to our seats? The game is about to start."

Clint nodded. "Hey buddy," he said and Philip turned around from admiring the Yogi Berra plaque. "We're going to start heading to our seats. The game is going to start soon."

"Okay!" Philip exclaimed as he jumped down from his perch.

As they started heading out, they took one last look behind them at Monument Park. The museum was a thing of the past, full of memories and history. But they had no problem leaving, for opening day was just half an hour away.

* * *

It was the bottom of the seventh and the Yankees were losing five to two. The fans were getting anxious; they just couldn't lose to the Red Sox on opening day! But since it was the seventh inning, it didn't look like that was going to happen.

Philip was getting antsy and Emilia wasn't even paying attention to the game anymore. Natasha was bent forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin cradled in her hands. She looked just as bored as the rest of the Yankees fans in the stadium.

As for Clint, his focus was locked on Emilia, who was seated next to him. He couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked in her jeans, Yankees t-shirt, pink baseball cap, and pink Converse sneakers. She had absolutely no clue what was going on. Then again, Clint figured she didn't know what was going on in the first place. But her adorable wardrobe combined with her cluelessness made Clint grin like an idiot.

"Are you having fun, Emilia?" Clint asked.

"Mhmm, but I can't see, Daddy!" the little girl squeaked.

Clint chuckled and then reached over to lift Emilia from her chair and place her in his lap. "Is that better?"

"Mhmm, thank you Daddy!"

"No problem," he said as he placed a quick kiss on top of her baseball capped head.

The crowd cheered as Robinson Cano stepped up to bat. With the Red Sox in the lead, they needed some kind of hope that they were still in the game. Clint picked up Emilia so that her feet were placed on Clint's knees and his hands were firmly holding her by the waist. If Cano hit the ball and got to first base, at least Emilia could be able to see it.

Clint heard the _crack_ as the bat connected with the ball and the crowd jumped up out of anticipation. Clint shot up with Emilia and placed her on his shoulders. The crowd held their breaths as they watched with sharp eyes in hopes that the ball didn't get caught. They already had one out; they definitely didn't want another one.

As Cano closed the distance to first base, an outfielder for the Red Sox caught the ball, much to Yankees' fans' dismay. With disappointment, they slowly returned to their seats as they watched Cano jog back to the dugout.

"Man!" Philip whined. "If Jeter was here, he would've knocked it out of the park!"

Clint chuckled as he returned to his seat, letting Emilia slide back into his lap. "He'll be back in no time, buddy."

Philip nodded and then returned his attention back to the game. Cano's hit was the most exciting thing to happen for the Yankees during the game in a while. He didn't want to risk missing anything else.

Unfortunately, the Yankees did lose to the Red Sox with an embarrassing 8-2 score. By the end of the game, Philip was less than pleased. Not only was his favorite player on the medical disability list, but his team had lost their opening day game!

The Bartons followed the crowd out of the stadium to head back to Manhattan. While Philip was still pouting over the Yankees' loss, Emilia was half asleep with her head resting on Clint's shoulder. Bringing up the rear was Natasha, who was less than pleased with the Yankees' loss as well.

When Clint noticed both Natasha and Philip pouting, he pulled them close to him. He pressed a kiss to the top of Natasha's head and then ruffled Philip's hair.

"Don't worry," Clint reassured them. "It's only opening day."

* * *

**Awww Clint, you make me feel so much better about the Yankees' loss haha. I have no idea how the game turned out (that's what happens when you go to school in Philly and all you get are Phillies games -_-) so I just threw in Cano's hit for some excitement. But the Yankees did indeed lose 8-2. Oh well, like Clint said. It's only opening day haha. I hope you guys liked it. I know I've been terrible with updating this. I literally have a little over a month left of this semester (I mean, WHAT?) so summer vacation is so close yet so far away!**

**As always, thank you so much for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Reviews are very much appreciated and they make me happy so please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think!**

**Oh and P.S. for those of you who have read _To Rome With Love_ and _Off To The Races_, the next story, _State of Grace_, is posted. Go check it out if you'd like!**


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